The much anticipated and publicised Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCA) has come and gone, but not without leaving a large footprint and after shock. Since it held last week, the media have been buzzing about the event. Such high profile events always get such attention; from which celebrity was present to the mode of dressing, who was absent, errors on stage, and the performances. There is a lot to talk about the AMVCA.
•Afolayan
Perhaps, the most important thing to take out of the awards is the award itself. The event, which was to celebrate and reward excellence in movie and television production in Africa, lived up to the billing. As expected, Nigeria movies dominated the awards; to rephrase it, Kunle Afolayan dominated the awards. Nigeria had over 80 per cent of the nominations, while Afoayan, his movie and his crew were in half of all the categories. While it was expected that he would take home some awards, it was, however, not known that he would garner as many as nine awards.
Afolayan won in almost all the categories in which his movies were nominated. From lighting to make-up, and from script to sound editing, Afolayan’s October 1 was unstoppable. It was not only in the technical department that it excelled, it did in the artistic side, getting one plaque after another. It won the Best Movie, the Best Actress in a Drama, Best Movie Director, and Best Art Director awards. Afolayan was so grateful for the honours that he begged for more time on stage to thank all those that made it possible.
Afolayan is not new to awards; he has been garnering awards since his first breakaway movie, Figurine. Though he had made many movies before this, Figurine shot him to the limelight and international recognition. The movie set him apart from his counterparts whose works may be seen as cheap, hurriedly made and lack substance. With the movie, Kunle just like he did at the AMVCA swept the 2010 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) with five awards.
Afolayan, along with a few others including Tunde Kelani and Midred Okwo, has dug a pit in the stomachs of Nigerian movie lovers that can only be filled with well-made movies. The hunger for good movies today is almost insatiable that Nigerian movies like Ayo Makun’s 30 Days in Atlanta can sell more than any foreign movie at the cinema.
One, however, can understand the reason behind Afolayan’s creativity. He is born into a creative dynasty where there are actors, directors, and even art professors. The Afolayan family can only be rivalled by the likes of the Amatas. The late patriarch of the family was a theatre impresario. Popularly known as Ade-Love, he was born in 1940 as Adeyemi Afolayana. He made several stage works and cinema, the most popular of which was Ajani Ogun.
At a very early stage, Afolayan set a different part for himself by aligning with the likes of Tunde kelani, who for a long, was regarded as Nigeria’s best or was perceived as such internationally.
Before he went into movie production, Afolayan had worked in a popular bank but the art in his genes rejected the good paying job, preferring the stage. He started off as an actor and soon honed his skill as a movie director, he set up his own production outfit, Golden Effects, and the rest, as they say, is history.
It is also clear that Afoayan already knew October 1 would be a big hit. Even while the movie was still in production, he had an interview with Saturday Independent, in which he said: “The film, trust me, will surpass Figurine. It is a film that will open a new chapter in my life as a filmmaker and an individual. What we put into Figurine is not as much as what we put into October 1.
“The subject matter is also debateable. It deals with a lot of subjects including religion, where Nigeria is coming from and where Nigeria is going. It also predicts the future of the country. It will make people think, and also educate young Nigerians. All the heroes that fought for independence are featured in the film. I guess people should get ready to be thrilled.”
More from the AMVCA
As always, the event started at about 6:30p.m. Even with a half-filled Eko Hotel hall, the event started with a dance and musical performance. After that, the award presentation commenced. As a live programme, there were commercial interludes, which of course, were for those watching from home all over Africa. The show was beamed live across the continent.
There were other performances as well. Diamond, a Bongo Flavour recording artiste and singer from Tanzania thrilled the crowd with his songs and dance steps. The Mavin Crew also did their Dorobuchi number. Absent from the crew were Dr. Sid, and Tiwa Savage, who understandably, is heavily pregnant. Tuface Idibia’s performance was electrifying as he went into the crowd singing songs from his latest album. Closing the event were the Okoye twins, P-Square.
There was also comedy at the show. Congolese comedian, Eddie Kadi, was first on stage and did different dance styles from different regions of Africa. His movements and descriptions got the whole crowd reeling. He was followed by Basketmouth, whose performance has been controversial and a hot topic online. He said that maybe Nigerians have become so depressed that they no longer see things well. He took a swipe at D’Banj and Tonto Dikeh who were seated right in front of the stage.
There were also some brand wars on stage as well. Basketmouth, for example, had to run away from the stage when an MTN advert was on the background. As you might know, Basketmouth is signed on MTN’s largest competition, Glo. There were some chuckles when Genevieve made a slip while presenting an award. She had described the sponsoring drink, Amstel Malta, as low sugar, and later announced that the winner gets six months supply of the drink, “so that they get fat.”
Perhaps, the funniest slip was when Afolayan referred to Guinness, as the sponsor, when, in fact, it was Nigerian Breweries’ competition.
The event itself was well organised and was one of the best ever AMVCA since inception. The timing was perfect, the organisation was well done and the show was enjoyable and interesting. Guests were glued to their seats for the whole three hours. Non-competitive awards were also given to deserving persons in the industry. The late renowned filmmaker, Amaka Igwe, was honoured with the Industry Merit award. The winner of the trailblazer award walked away with a diamond watch, courtesy of Chris Aire. The coveted New Era award was given to Ayo Makun for exceptional talent.
In a chat after the awards, M-Net West Africa Regional Director, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, commended both the winners and the nominees, saying; “Each year we have hosted this event, it has become more evident that Africa has truly carved its own mark and identity in the global film and TV industry. Tonight’s event recognised all the talented individuals who continue to grow this industry. “We’re very honoured that we could reward them for their exceptional works. A special thank you to our partners, MultiChoice Africa and Amstel, for their continued support in making sure that African talent is well and truly recognised in style.”
MultiChoice Africa CEO, Nico Meyer, also congratulated the winners and nominees, saying; “It’s been an honour for us at MultiChoice Africa to be part of this event that celebrates the best in African film and television. The amount of talent and exciting productions we’ve witnessed tonight keeps inspiring and motivating us to continue to deliver quality programming to our DStv and GOtv subscribers on the Africa Magic channels. MultiChoice will continue to invest in promoting local film and television while collaborating and supporting television and film producers to further build this vibrant and exciting industry.
“A big thank you to our subscribers who continue to show their dedication and participation in these awards.”
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