By Anifowose George for Golden Icons
The cliché ‘‘thin line between success and failure’’ came to fore recently at the just concluded AMAA awards held in Bayelsa State Nigeria.
The fifth edition of AMAA held in Yenogoa Bayelsa state saw films from other African nations dominating their Nigerian colleagues with Kenyan film – From a whisper directed by Wannri Kaliu winning five choice prizes, even as the Nigerian entries that had earlier dominated the nominees’ list crumbled like a pack of cards to the surprise of Nigerian spectators, actors and stakeholders in Nollywood. The movie won the best director, screenplay, picture, original soundtrack and AMAA achievement in editing in categories that had Nigerian entries such as Tunde Kelani in the film Arugba. Even stakeholders in the entertainment industry in 2009 were in agreement that the awardees deserved the feat, given their hard work and commitment.
The future looked bleak for Nollywood and many wondered what was amiss.
However, in contrasting a tale, the fortunes of the Nigerian movie industry which was at a low ebb at the 2009 edition changed drastically at the 2010 edition of the awards held in Yenagoa on Saturday, April 11, 2010. Nollywood returned back to the top in an astonishing fashion and carted away nine of the twenty-four awards handed out including Cinematography and Visual Effects of the year won by the film The Figurine.
Although Nollywood was the biggest winner on the night, other African countries notably Ghana (Ghanaian movie ‘I sing of a well’ nominated in eleven categories) showed they were fast catching up in the art of make believe and proved that they had considerable acting and production talents as Ghanaian, Ugandan and Kenyan movie industries also as they carted away awards in eleven categories including the Best Actress of the year won by the duo of Ashaku Mensa-Doku and Lydia Forson in a movie The Perfect picture.
RAMSEY WINS BIG
Nollywood actor Ramsey Nouah on Saturday emerged the Best Actor of the year at the African Movie Academy (AMAA) Award. The award was for his spectacular performance in the flick, The Figurine, which also emerged the best film of the year. Although Ramsey was absent at the awards, he delivered his acceptance speech via the telephone.
Ramsey Nouah began his acting career in 1999 with the movie king of money and has over a hundred flicks to his credit.
The sixth AMAA award held in Yenegoa, Bayelsa for the second year in a row was attended by an array of movie stars from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and the Diaspora. Two American movie stars, Ms C.C.H Pounder and Glynn Turner, also attended the event.
LIST OF WINNERS AT THE 2010 AMAA AWARDS
AMAA best performance by an actor in a leading role: Ramsey Nouah (figurine)
AMAA best performance by an actress in a leading role: Jackie Apia (perfect picture)
AMAA best performance by an actress in a supporting role: Tapiwa Gwaza (seasons of a life)
AMAA best performance by an actor in a supporting role: Adjatey Anang (perfect pictures)
AMAA best cinematography figurine
AMAA best director Shirley Frimpong-Manso- the perfect picture
AMAA most promising actor: Wilson Maina (togetherness supreme) Kenya
AMAA most promising actress: Chelsea Eze (silent scandal) and Rahema Nanfuka ( Imani)
AMAA best performance by a child actor: Teddy Onyago and Bill Oloo
AMAA best original sound track a sting in a tale
AMAA achievement in visual effects figurine
AMAA achievement in costume I sing of a well
AMAA achievement in make-up the child
AMAA achievement in art direction Fulani
AMAA achievement in editing the child
AMAA achievement in sound i sing of a well
AMAA heart of Africa award for best film from Nigeria figurine by Kunle Afolayan
AMAA best film in African language Imani – (Uganda)
AMAA best film by an African filmmaker in Diaspora soul Diaspora
AMAA best animation Hanayns shoe (Egypt) ministry of culture Egypt
AMAA best short film the Abbys boys – (South Africa) Jan-Hendrik Beetge
AMAA best documentary Bariga boys (Nigeria) Femi Odugbemi
AMAA best picture figurine (Nigeria)
