AMAA 2015 To Hold In June, Receives 800 Films

The eleventh edition of Africa’s foremost reward and recognition scheme for filmmakers Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) would hold in June 2015 as against its traditional hosting month of April 2015.

Obviously the general elections that were held in Nigeria in March and April necessitated the shift. However the award body has once again confirmed its preeminent status as the most prestigious and respected continental and transcontinental motion picture Awards in Africa with over 800 films already received for the 2015 edition.

The films came from over 60 countries of the world mostly within Africa, South America, United States and North America. According to Mr. Shaibu Hussein, a film critic and the Chairman College of Screeners, the organisers received a good number of entries from what could be considered new territories for AMAA from such countries as Cuba, Brazil, Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica.

‘’The enthusiasm and interest of Filmmakers from South America, Francophone countries  and North Africa are increasing by the day with the amount of films submitted for the awards from the countries in these regions.

We are quite excited about this development,’’ said Mr. Hussein Already the pre-selection screening has started-the stage where the entries are screened in line with entry rules before the films that comply with the entry requirements are sent to College of Screeners where the real job of adjudication starts.

A meeting of the Board of International Jurors will then be he held after the college of screeners to decide films that will make it to nomination’’ Husseini added.

However Husseini affirmed that ‘’AMAA 2015 will hold in June at a date to be announced while the Nomination Gala night will hold in May before the inauguration of the President-Elect, General Muhammadu Buhari on May 29th, 2015’’.

The Chairman of the Jury for this year awards is Mr. Keith Shiri, a Zimbabwean, film festival organizer and programmer. Two distinguished motion picture practitioners of international repute, Mr. Charles Burnett, an American and Mr. Filippe Savadogo, a former Minister of Culture, Tourism and Communications in Burkina Faso recently joined the current body of Jurors.