Senegalese movie, Felicite, tops 2017 AMAA Awards winners list

Senegalese movie, Felicite, emerged the biggest winner of the night at the 13th African Movie Academy Awards, which ended in the early hours of Sunday.

The event, hosted by Nse Ikpe Etim, held at the Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The movie won six AMAAs, the most of all the contenders.

Felicite took home awards in three of the five major categories, winning best film, best actress in a leading role, and best supporting actor. Félicité follows the story of a singer who sings in a bar in Kinshasa. When her 14-year-old son has a motorcycle accident, she goes on a frantic search through the streets of Kinshasa, a world of music and dreams. And her path crosses that of Tabu.

Nigerian historical drama, ’76, won three awards from its eight nominations.

In total, Nigeria won nine awards, including the special recognition honour given to veteran comic-actor, Nkem Owoh.

Moments after a member of the AMAA jury, Shaibu Husseini, announced him as the recipient of the award, Nkem dedicated it to all peacemakers around the world.

Winners include Akin Omotoso, who won the best director award, Nkem Owoh who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, and “76” which won the Lagos State Best Nigerian film award.

Omotoso beat Daouda Coulibaly, Steve Gukas, Mira Nair, Izu Ojukwu, Daryen Joshua, Alain Gomis, Ala Eddine Slim and”Said Khallaf” to win the 2017 African Movie Academy Awards best director for his movie “Vaya.”

Media entrepreneur, Mo Abudu, presented the award to the filmmaker. Receiving the award, Omotoso revealed that it took the scriptwriters six years to complete the script. He also added that seven different writers wrote the movie.

Jahwar Soudani’s role in “Last Of Us” earned him the Award For Best Actor in a Leading Role. Vero Tshanda beat Rita Dominic, Lupita Nyong’O, Bimbo Akintola, Zimkhitha Nyoka, Khabonina Quebeka, Josette Bushell-Mingo to win the Award For Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in the movie, “Félicité.”

The event lacked the usual spark and buzz that the award is known for with close watchers describing this year’s event as the most poorly publicised edition yet.

The awards ceremony, which was initially scheduled to hold at the National Theatre Complex, Iganmu, couldn’t be staged there, because the host city could not put the venue in order for the event; forcing the organisers to settle for the upscale Eko Hotels.

It was announced that Kigali, Rwanda, which hosted the 2017 nominees’ announcement, would host the 2018 African Movie Academy Awards. The announcement was made by Ghanaian actress, Lydia Forson.

The long night came to an end with a performance from Nigerian Juju musician, Shina Peters.

Here is the full list of winners:

Best short film: A Place For Myself (Rwanda) & A Place In the Plane (Senegal)

Best animation: Got Flowers (Nigeria) Best documentary: Mama Colonel (DRC)

Best film in an African language: Felicite (Senegal)

Best film by an African living abroad: While We Live (Burkina Faso/Sweden)

Best diaspora short: 90 Days (US) & Kbela (Brazil)

Achievement in production design: ’76 (Nigeria)

Achievement in costume: Queen of Katwe (Uganda)

Achievement in makeup: Oloibiri (Nigeria)

Best production: ’76 (Nigeria)

Best soundtrack: Felicitè (Senegal)