By Toyosi Olajide
Organisers of the African Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, AMVCA, have announced that the eighth edition of the biggest pan-African movie awards ceremony will run for eight days-spanning food, screening, fashion and culture, and culminating into a grand finale which will hold on Saturday, May 14 in Lagos.
Dr. Busola Tejumola, Head of Content Africa Magic, made this known during an interactive session with the media ahead of the nominees unveiling on Saturday, March 19, 2022. According to her, the AMVCA opening night is scheduled to hold on May 7 and will run until May 14, when the award night will take place. Prior to that, a special gala will be held for award nominees on May 13 while the following day will be for the grand finale of the ceremony.
Tejumola who said that the introduction of the eight-day series of events would reinvent and bring exciting changes to the awards revealed that the build-up of activities will kick off on Saturday, May 7. This will be followed by a first-ever AMVCA runway show in partnership with Bella Naija Style on Sunday, May 8. Monday, May 9 will be MultiChoice Talent Factory Day with movie screenings and panel discussions by students of the MTF academy.
Africa Magic will host industry stakeholders to a special Content Market Day on Tuesday, May 10. This will be followed by a pan-African food festival and cultural day on Wednesday, May 11. A Digital Content Creators’ Day to spotlight the growing popularity of online content creators will hold on Thursday, May 12. There will be a special gala for nominees on Friday, May 13, while the awards night, which will hold on Saturday, May 14, will crown the series of events.
Tejumola also noted that the AMVCA was birthed in line with Africa Magic’s vision of providing entertainment for Africans by Africans, adding that the AMVCA has fostered the development of the African film and television industry since it was introduced.
In all, Busola said there will be 33 categories of awards including the newly introduced ‘Best Online Social Content Creator’ category. A total of 12 categories will be decided by viewers’ votes while the remaining 21 will be decided based on the panels’ decision. The eighth edition will also see the return of the Best Africa Magic Original Drama Series, Best Africa Magic Original Comedy Series, Best Dressed Male and Female, which will be voted for on the night of the event.
In a related development, malt drink brand, Amstel Malta is returning as the headline sponsor of the awards ceremony while the premium CSD brand, Pepsi, is coming on board for the first time as a technical sponsor. They are joined by other brands including OctaFX, Cowbell, Indomie, Lush Hair and MTN, among others.
Aminah Jagun, Senior Brand Manager for Amstel Malta said the return of the brand as the headline sponsorship of the awards From Amstel Malta was a natural decision that stems from its passion for every consumer’s dream.
She said, “this is an opportunity for us once again to put Africa on the map, to shine the light on all that we do. It is all about the fantastic things that we do beyond our movies-the food, fashion, music. For Amstel Malta, this is an opportunity again to reinforce our commitment to Nollywood, to the talent and creativity that we have. It is also a fantastic opportunity for us to inspire. This is a platform that reminds us that dreams do come through. If you work hard and put your head down, you will shine, you will be recognised. As a brand, we like to put our money where our mouth is. We tell people to be their best and this is a platform that truly encourages and inspires people to be their best,” she concluded.
Coming on the heels of its curated and highly successful #TurnupFridayWithPepsi as well as its highly viral #FortheLoveofIt campaign, Segun Ogunleye, General Manager, Marketing for Seven-Up Bottling Company gave reasons for the brand’s ‘technical sponsorship’ of the AMVCA: “we are super excited to be part of the programme for the first time as brand Pepsi. I dare say that Africa Magic is at the forefront of shaping narratives for Africa and for the African content creator, and this is an epoch-making event that deserves a brand like Pepsi which is at the forefront of driving contemporary pop culture.
“So, our partnerships and collaborations and coordination are not accidental and are extremely professional. Over the years our manifestation as brand Pepsi is being around passion music and sports. There is another particular pillar for our passion that we are beginning to amplify a lot more and that is our lifestyle fashion points. Who are those who represent these? It is those content creators, those shapers of narratives who are going to be rewarded, who are the stars, who tell the story of Nigeria, of Africa like never before.”
Segu further revealed that all individuals that will make the nomination for the AMVCA will be known internally to the organisation as the “Pepsi Collectives”. He added that for the first time in the history of the show, the winner of the “Best Soundtrack” category will not just be getting the prestigious AMVCA plaque but also will be going home with “a financial element of one million naira.”
Hailed as the premium awards for filmmakers in Africa, the AMVCAs has recognized and celebrated outstanding achievements in the African film and TV industry both in front and behind the cameras. The AMVCA is returning for its eighth edition after taking a one-year hiatus in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the attendant concerns on the health and safety of all stakeholders.
Adesua Etomi-Wellington and Daniel-Etim Effiong, both Nollywood actors, will be hosting the nomination unveiling as well as the main event.