Nominees to be unveiled on May 15

The nominees for the 2016

According to the organisers, 2016 nominees in the 28 categories of the annual pan-African reward system for motion picture practitioners will hold at the Protea Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos.

Speaking on the event, the Chairman of the AMAA Jury, Shaibu Husseini, disclosed that the nominees will be unveiled at a strictly media event as against the usual practice of announcing the nominees at a Gala Night ceremony.

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In the words of Shaibu Husseini, “In the last 8 years the nominees have been announced at events outside Nigeria and the last year being at JW Marriot Hotel, Los Angeles, United States. We are having both the nominees’ event and the main awards in Nigeria this year. We look forward to a very grand awards in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in June.’’

Continuing, Husseini said, ‘Only 25 feature films will make it into nomination stage however they may not all be nominated. But the 25 made it to the final stages of AMAA selection out of the over 280 feature films received this year from over 25 African countries including Nigeria, Cape Verde, Gambia, Morrocco, Uganda, Togo, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Cameroun, Mali, Ethiopia, Niger, Kenya, Algeria and Egypt. Also 15 short films (Africa and diaspora) made it to the final stages but unfortunately only 8 of the African documentary films will make it to nomination and 3 Diaspora short films.’

In his closing remarks, Husseini said, ‘We are very happy about the quality of works that came into the competition this year and it gladdens our heart that every year the objectives of the awards are being achieved with film makers in Africa and beyond upping their game.’

The Board of Jurors of AMAA which has members which include academics, film makers, critics and Film Festival curators from Nigeria, Germany, United States, Zimbabwe, Jamaica and Burkina Faso will decide on which film and individual talents that will make the nominations and also eventual winners.