Africa’s answer to the Oscar’s, the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), has added a global flavour to its programme.
Regarded as Africa’s most glamorous film awards event on the continent, the AMAA will this year hold events on regional, continental and international fronts to expand the brand’s foothold in Africa and the diaspora.
The AMAA events package includes media, training, business, sponsorship, fundraising, networking, roadshows, launches, meetings, and an Annual General Meeting (AGM).
“This intensive 2012 programme should see the AMAA brand consolidate its position as we inspire the future of African film production and distribution,’ says AMAA CEO Peace Anyiam-Osigwe.
Central to the programmes is the 2012 edition of the AMAA competition, supported by the AMAA African Cinema Business Roundtable in South Africa. There is also the AMAA world press conference as well as press conferences in Ghana, Kenya, UK and South Africa.
The AMAA sub-brand, which is marketed under the African Film Academy banner, will be co-packaged with the generic AMAA brand. Film In A Box events will take place in Gambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Further AMAA events include: AGM in Gambia; AMAA Cocktail Party at the Berlin Film Festival; AMAA Launch at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles; AMAA Nomination Night, UK; AMAA Town Hall meetings (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa); and AMAA Roadshows (Durban, Kenya, Zanzibar, Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, Zuma and Pan African Film Festivals).
Anyiam-Osigwe reveals that the televised 2012 AMAA Nomination Night in April, where nominees for 24 categories are announced, may be held in Zimbabwe.
“Film industry stakeholders in Zimbabwe are hard at work to secure the necessary funding,’ she says. “The decision to host the event in Zimbabwe follows the suggestion and year-long negotiations between Martin Chemhere, a Zimbabwean arts and media consultant living in South Africa, and myself.
“We are giving Zimbabwe first priority to host because they need this intervention more than other countries. Zimbabwe has been struggling for good international mileage and the AMAAs have a 50 million target audience worldwide.’
Past nomination nights have been successfully held in South Africa, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Kenya.
Host countries can leverage AMAA and its reach to showcase their culture to Africa and a global audience, while individuals and organisations have the opportunity for international partnerships and collaboration.
At the AMAA inaugural edition in 2005, more than 500 notable filmmakers from Africa, US, UK and the rest of the world converged in Yenogoa, Bayelsa State with a record audience of 10 000.
Guest stars who have graced past AMAAs include US stars Danny Glover, Vivica Fox, Louis Gosset Jnr, Angela Bassett, Mo’Nique, Cuba Gooding Jnr, Wesley Snipes and the late Miriam Makeba.
The awards are endorsed by FEPACI (Federation of Pan-African Cinema), the continental film watchdog.
By Martin Chemhere
Screen Africa Magazine – February 2012
