AMAA - BAYELSA BLUES... AMAA has, for the past ten years, created a platform for moviemakers in Africa to converge in a sort of Festival. For the uninitiated, AMAA stands for African Movie Academy Awards, in reality, this is Africas version of the Oscar. Movie stars all over Affrica and some from Hollywood grace the annual occasion always held in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State. This years wasnt different. Danny Glover, just like the first edition in 2005, was around to represent Hollywood. Ghana, South Afrca, Lesotho, Mauritius, Burkina Faso, Cote dIvoire, Mali and other African moviemaking nations were all represented by their own stars. From the novelty match, featuring all Nollywood vs the State House team, to various parties and sightseeing, this years AMAA, to me, was a welcome relief from everyday agony of waking up to one Boko Haram atrocity or the other. AMAA is always a great experience but being nominated makes it even more grandeur...you get to really mix up with all nominees, exchange numbers with intent of exchanging experiences and works later. Itll only make moviemaking in Africa grow stronger! I knew how I felt the first time I won AMAA as best writer in Africa...and I was truly looking forward to this one with expectations. But it wasnt to be. In a pool of five best written movies in Africa this 2014, ACCIDENT(written by me and directed by Teco Benson), B FOR BOY(Nigerian), FOR GOOD REPORT(South African), FELIX(South African) and POTOMANTO(Ghanaian), the writer of South Africas, Of Good Report grabbed it. However, my consolation came when same movie won the best Nigerian Movie. Apart from winning Best Nigerian Movie, ACCIDENT had other nominations, notably for Best African Movie, Best Director(Teco Benson), Best Actress(Chioma Chukwuka), and Best Edited film...in the end the movie lost all to South Africa , except in best Actress where our own Clarion Chukwurah triumphed with the movie APAYE. Patience Ozokwor also won Best Supporting Actress with After The Proposal. While Bob-Manuel Udokwu won the prestigious Jury Recognition Award for Career Excellence. I must state, that because of her mixture in race, South Africa is far more advanced than Nigeria in the art of moviemaking...they take Hollywood route in attention to details and appropriate funding, technical inputs and every known ingredient of movie making. We can only match them in storytelling and acting ... but then, the superior technicalities they add offer serious advantage to edge us out in all fronts. Solution? WE MUST IMPROVE IN EVERY STANDARD! CONGRATULATIONS to the South Africans and other winners of this years AMAA. Bayelsa was fun, AMAA is always an experience and moviemaking is one of the most exciting professions one could practice. Im happy Im one of those practising and will continue to be, continue to be part of AMAA and, of course, continue to visit Bayelsa. And like In football, AMAA is a yearly invent. If you miss a trophy/award one time, theres always another opportunity. In same vein, Id extend my humble consolatory message to Diego Simeone. You lost it when history was almost making a very big entry in your favour ... but it wasnt to be. God makes kings...and will definitely make you in His own chosen time. What you owe yourself is to always put in your best and then strive to make your next season better than your present. To Madrid and their fans, I say CONGRATS....enjoy your La Decima!
Posted on: Mon, 26 May 2014 07:22:58 +0000
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