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Congolese film,
‘Viva Riva’ has beaten features from across the continent to win Best
Film at the 2011 Africa Academy Movie Awards, held Monday in Yenagoa,
Bayelsa State. Nigerian films were left floundering as movies from
Congo, South Africa and Ghana won multiple awards in various
categories. ‘Viva Riva’ was the top film of the night, winning AMAAs in
six categories including: Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting
Actress, Best Cinematography and Best Director.

A gritty
rollercoaster of a film set in Kinshasa, ‘Viva Riva’ tells the story of
a criminal who intercepts a lucrative consignment of fuel during a
shortage, and the ruthless Angolan gang hot on his tail. Patsha Bay
Mukuna, who played the charismatic Riva, attended the AMAA ceremony,
alongside the film’s Best Supporting Actress winner, Marlene Longage.
Accepting the Best Film award, producer Boris Vanglis said, “It’s a
historic moment for us. This is the first film in Congo-Kinshasa in 20
years in Lingala (language).” He paid tribute to the vision of the
director, Djo Tunda Wa Munga, said to be away in Europe promoting the
film. ‘Viva Riva’ has wowed audiences at international festivals and is
now set for release in Britain and America.

Another big AMAA
winner was ‘Sinking Sands’, a Ghanaian film written and directed by
Leila Djansi. It got awards in three categories including Best Actress
for UK-based actress, Ama K. Abebrese. A story about domestic violence
and love gone sour, ‘Sinking Sands’ also stars Haitian-American actor
Jimmy Jean-Louis, a Best Actor nominee. Accepting the Best Screenplay
award on behalf of Djansi, Jean-Louis urged for more collaboration
between African moviemakers, noting that ‘Sinking Sands’, though a
Ghanaian film, used actors and crew from several countries including
Nigeria, Britain and Germany. A major presence at the ceremony, Jimmy
Jean-Louis featured in at least four films nominated for this year’s
awards. The African American actor, Nate Parker (‘The Great Debaters’),
also attended the awards.

Showing Nigeria pepper

A number of South
African films including ‘Izulu Lami’ (Best Film in an African
Language), ‘Hopeville’ (Best Actor, Themba Ndaba), and ‘A Small Town
Called Descent’ – featured strongly. Receiving one of the first awards
presented on the night, a South African filmmaker jokingly promised
that her country would “show [Nigeria] pepper”. Much later, she was
able to boast, “I told you earlier that South Africa will show you
pepper.” Another South African film, ‘Shirley Adams’, won the
Achievement in Sound as well as the coveted Jury Prize, for being the
kind of movie “that doesn’t come along all the time,” according to
juror, Ayoku Babu.

Nigerian filmmakers
were left subdued as the night wore on. Only the Yoruba language epic,
‘Aramotu’ put up a decent showing, winning two of the six categories it
was nominated for. Directed by Niji Akanni and produced by Femi
Ogunrombi, ‘Aramotu’ won for Best Costume and was crowned the Best
Nigerian Film of 2011. Accepting her award, the film’s costumier Toyin
Ogundeji said, “I want to thank my mother who was the repository of all
my search in costume.” ‘Mirror Boy’ a film set in The Gambia but
written and directed by Nigeria’s Obi Emelonye, fetched the Best Young
Actor award for its star, Edward Kagutuzi, a UK-based actor of Ugandan
origin. The high production musical, ‘Inale’, was rewarded for Best
Soundtrack, won by Bongos Ikwe whose award was picked up by his
daughter and the film’s producer, Keke Bongos.

Erratic Jim Iyke

A major minus of
the award ceremony was the erratic behaviour of the show’s
co-presenter, Jim Iyke, whose cringe-worthy performance included
homophobic and sexist remarks. At one point, he told co-host, actress
Nse Ikpe-Etim to “shut up.” When in onstage banter he asked her to come
to his room later and she asked what for, he replied, “You’re a Calabar
girl, you should know, now!” Forgetting he was in front of an
international gathering of the liberal arts for a show telecast live on
Africa Independent Television (AIT), Iyke had earlier gone off on a
tangent about gays and their “weird” ways. “There is something wrong.
It’s just wrong.” It was left to Ikpe-Etim to say, “Okay, that’s
enough. I must apologise for my colleague. There is nothing wrong with
being happy.” But she could only smile powerlessly as the actor’s
behaviour degenerated further onstage, reading his notes with dark
shades on; and ranting about anything from an ill-timed defence of
Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde’s weight to women “popping pills” to stay slim.

The speeches

In his speech at
the ceremony, the governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, called on
African filmmakers to tell positive stories about the continent.
“Africa today cannot be portrayed as the dark continent,” he said. The
governor added that the “horrendous impression” created about Africa by
the West, should be resisted.

Presenting the
award for Best Visual Effects, filmmaker Kunle Afolayan canvassed for
more support and corporate sponsorship for AMAA. “We should give [AMAA]
all the support and we should embrace it. This is the only platform
where African films can be appreciated all over the world,” he said,
giving testimony to the impact of the awards on his own career since
his multiple wins in 2010 for ‘The Figurine’. The award ceremony
featured performances by music stars including Tee Mac and his 10-piece
band, Wande Coal, and the South African group, Malaika. Another
performer, the hip-hop act, Doctor Sid, revealed that he is the son of
Nollywood actor, Justus Esiri. Thousands attended the awards, held at
the Gloryland Cultural Centre in Yenagoa. 320 films were submitted from
all over Africa for this year’s awards. 180 of these were features,
from which the Jury selected 30 for nominations. “We received a
stunning range of film – films that tell us moviemaking is alive and
well in Africa,” said juror, Keith Shiri, who represented the Jury
Chair, John Akomfrah.

CEO of the Africa Movie Academy, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, pleaded with
corporate organisations in Nigeria and across Africa, “Take us
seriously. We are the reason Africa’s perception is changing. The
positive thing coming out of Africa is Nollywood. I need my industry
taken seriously. I need piracy wiped out.” At a press conference with
the AMAA jury earlier in the day, Anyiam-Osigwe had told Nigerian
filmmakers who like to snipe about not winning, “If your film does not
win, it didn’t win because it’s not good enough.” It will be food for
thought for Nollywood practitioners as they mull over their poor
showing in the seventh annual AMAA awards.