Organisers of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) have promised a total night of fun at this year’s awards ceremony holding on Sunday, April 22 at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. Founder and chief executive officer of AMAA, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, made the promise at a world press conference held on Wednesday.

Anyiam-Osigwe, who cleared the air on several issues, including the movement of the ceremony from its traditional venue of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State to Lagos and the unveiling some of AMAA’s new partners, also revealed some of the expected foreign guests.

She disclosed that the ceremony was moved to Lagos because of issues including inadequate accommodation and security. The AMAA founder disclosed that they ran out of hotel rooms for guests in Yenagoa last year and decided to stay in Lagos to forestall a recurrence. Despite moving the ceremony to Lagos, she reiterated that AMAA will retain its links with Bayelsa. “Bayelsa continues to be a major supporter of AMAA even this year that we are in Lagos. We will always be

indebted to Bayelsa for believing in this vision when it was just a piece of paper.”
She, however, did not foreclose the possibility of returning to Bayelsa in the future, noting that “Bayelsa will always be the home of AMAA. I don’t think Bayelsa will ever let go off AMAA and AMAA let go off Bayelsa. I have not said we are not going back, we will continue to train their youth.” She also disclosed that though not conceived as a moving event, “AMAA will start to move as we grow because it’s an African event. It might move next year.” The nomination party held in different countries annually, she added, is to satisfy the yearnings of other Africans who want to feel the event.

Anyiam-Osigwe further disclosed that telecommunications company, Airtel and the Lagos State Government are new partners that have come on board. She said they are still discussing with others and that wife of the Lagos State Governor, Abimbola Fashola will grace this year’s ceremony.

Anyiam-Osigwe also disclosed that American actors, Morris Chestnut, Lynn Whitfield, Maya Gilbert and Rockmond Dunbar  will be guests of honour while Senegalese singer and sister in-law of  Youssou N’Dour, Vivian and Nigerian stars, Asa and  Tuface Idibia, will entertain guests.

She also touched on the theme of this year’s award, ‘Africa Rising’, noting that it is appropriate because more countries are getting involved in AMAA. Anyiam-osigwe disclosed that organisers received entries from countries including Sudan, Algeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Chad and Niger that hitherto did not participate in the awards scheme. She added that delegations from Egypt, Niger and Tanzania will be at the ceremony apart from the usual suspects like South Africa, Kenya and Ghana.  The South Africans, she disclosed, will have a nomination party before they depart their country for Nigeria.

Responding to a question on the benefit of AMAA to Nigerian filmmakers, Anyiam-Osigwe said there are many ongoing co-productions with some of the foreign guests that have been at AMAA and that it is basically an opportunity for players in the film industry to network.

Speaking on the involvement of Airtel, the company’s head of Brands and Communications, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, said it sees AMAA as a veritable platform to celebrate and reward excellence in the African movie industry.

Also speaking on the nominations, head of screening , Shuaibu Husseini, reiterated that there was no underhand dealing in the process and that some popular films people expected to see on the nomination list didn’t make the cut because they did not comply with the set rules.

Haitian actor, Jimmy Jean- Louis and actor O.C Ukeje will host the ceremony, the eight edition holding in Lagos for the first time.