AMVCA allays fears, stage set for awards

One of the winners of the awards in the past edition. PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • These were indeed disheartening speculation given the kind of success that the continental show piece had recorded in the past five editions since its inception in 2013.

Dar es Salaam. Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards was at one point referred to as Africa’s Oscars, but that was not until word started circulating that it wasn’t going to take place.

These were indeed disheartening speculation given the kind of success that the continental show piece had recorded in the past five editions since its inception in 2013.

But finally these fears have been allayed this week when Africa Magic in association with MultiChoice, announced the call to entry for the 2018 edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs),

The AMVCAs were created to celebrate the contribution of African filmmakers, actors and technicians in the success of the continent’s film and television industry and with the success of the previous five editions, preparations are in top gear for the 2018 edition.

“The African movie and television industry is brimming with exciting talent, and at Africa Magic we contribute to the industry by not only giving these talents the platform to showcase their skills and passion, but by celebrating their achievements whilst also encouraging them to continue honing their craft,” said Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, Director for M-Net West Africa at the announcement

According to organisers the event is now set to be held on the 1st of September 2018 in Lagos, bringing on board new collaborators such as Konga, Nokia and Heritage Bank.

She added: The AMVCAs celebrate filmmakers in different categories ranging from acting and directing to scriptwriting and cinematography. This year, a number of awards in different categories will be presented ranging from acting and directing to scriptwriting and cinematography. Other categories will include: short film or online video, soundtrack, costume designing, sound and lighting amongst others.

The 2018 edition will feature 27 categories in general with seven open to viewers voting and 20 decided by AMVCA panel of judges.

Entry for the AMVCAs is free and the closing date for submissions is the 30th of April 2018. Films, made-for-television movies or television series previously entered into or nominated for an award, or awarded a prize in another film and television competition are eligible to be entered for the AMVCAs.

All films, made-for-television movies or television series are eligible for entry to the AMVCA if they are broadcast or publicly screened during the period of October 1st, 2016 to March 31st, 2018.

In Tanzania the local MultiChoice office is setting up a station to help local film makers to submit their works.

Mr Maharage Chande the managing director of Multichoice Tanzania and he is elated at the prospects that the awards present.

“After a brief hiatus, we are thrilled to announce that 2018 will indeed mark the sixth consecutive year of MultiChoice and Africa Magic successfully hosting the AMVCAs and we remain proud of the improvements seen in the industry since the inception of the awards as we know that these cannot be ignored or overstated,” he says.

He adds: Furthermore, our continued investment demonstrates our dedication in helping unearth and celebrate talent on continent and we believe that the 2018 edition of the AMVCAs will leave an even bigger impact on the African film production industry than the previous five.

According to Chande, Tanzania has been participating in these awards and it hasn’t been all gloom with some film makers doing quite well.

“The main secret is first to ensure that Tanzanians submit their work in good numbers this time and then when the polls arrive we make sure that we vote for the nominated artists,” says Mr Chande.

However even then, these ought to be very difficult times for many film enthusiasts, especially those who follow the local film industry in Tanzania.

With over 500 films which are churned annually not a single film have made the grades among Africa’s cream after posting over seven nominations in 2014.

After the trepidation caused by 2014’s award season one would have expected a lot better from film makers in Tanzania, that is if at all they learnt something from their mistakes and why they always return empty handed.

The Tanzanian film industry as it stands is mired in a myriad of issues that are stalling its progress toward the dreamland even as it is tagged as number two in terms of volume after Nollywood.

These hundreds of productions annually shouldn’t be a problem as long as the supply chain is set up in a proper manner but for now it is the problem.

Away from the Tanzanian and the East African agenda there are voices of dissent that believe that the AMVCA is not representative of the whole of Africa and that it is more of a West African affair.

There are some pundits who believe that the nomination criterion does not cater for diversity that Africa represents.

“African content in terms of film is so diverse and therefore, I do not see how much of the categories are going to either Nigerians or Ghanaians, something that fails the very purpose that such a platform was created for,” says an award winning film maker from South Africa.

According to him the fact that most African films from the other parts of Africa don’t make it to general category such as sound, editing, and costumes leaves much to be desired.

He sees this as the main reason why filmmakers from central, East and Southern Africa do not submit their works in these categories.

To say that nothing has been achieved towards the direction of making these awards the continent’s number one show piece would be quite a an understatement.

In fact, the five years of the awards have seen some of the greatest in film making in Africa as the event offers not only recognition for the best but also affords the opportunity to network.

Some pundits say local filmmakers ought to take the blame given their sense of judgement which is a bit inexplicable even with the so-called bottlenecks.

“Most of our film makers are inward looking because they do not see the essence of competing at such levels and the advantage that comes with it,” comments a highly places source at ZIFF.

It remains interesting whether filmmakers will make use of the goodwill that MultiChoice is offering in Tanzania.