AMAA nomination holds in Lagos tomorrow

Ahead of this year’s African Movie Academy Awards (AMMA), organisers have revealed that the nominees in the 28 categories of the yearly pan-African reward system for motion picture practitioners will hold in Lagos tomorrow.

In a statement released by the chairman of the 2015 AMAA Jury, Mr. Shaibu Husseini, the nominees will be unveiled at a strictly media event at the Protea Hotel, Isaac John, GRA Ikeja, Lagos, a departure from the usual practice of announcing the nominees at a Gala Night ceremony usually outside Nigeria.

“In the last 8 years, the nominees have been announced at events outside Nigeria and the last year being at JW Marriot Hotel, Los Angeles, United States. We are having both the nominees’ event and the main awards in Nigeria this year. We look forward to a very grand awards in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in June,’’ said the AMAA 2015 Jury Head.

According to the statistics released by Mr. Husseini, filmmakers within Africa and the Diaspora submitted feature films, documentaries, animations and short films for the award, which is in its 12th editions.

“Only 25 feature films will make it into nomination stage, however they may not all be nominated. But the 25 made it to the final stages of AMAA selection out of the over 280 feature films received this year from over 25 African countries including Nigeria, Cape Verde, Gambia, Morrocco, Uganda, Togo, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Cameroun, Mali, Ethiopia, Niger, Kenya, Algeria and Egypt. Also 15 short films (Africa and diaspora) made it to the final stages but unfortunately only 8 of the African documentary films will make it to nomination and 3 Diaspora short films,” he said.

The Board of Jurors of AMAA, which has filmmakers, critics and Film Festival curators from Nigeria, Germany, United States, Zimbabwe, Jamaica and Burkina Faso, will decide on which film and individual talents that will make the nominations and also eventual winners.

The award has a very thorough and four stages of pre-screening process before the College of Screeners who makes the final works that will go to the Board of Jurors.

“We are very happy about the quality of works that came into the competition this year and it gladdens our heart that every year the objectives of the awards are being achieved with film makers in Africa and beyond upping their game,” added Mr. Husseini.