Here's all you need to know about 10th AMVCA, plus head judge, key dates

MultiChoice, in partnership with Africa Magic, organisers of the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA), has announced that the 10th edition of its awards will hold from May 10-11 2024.

The organisers also unveiled ace filmmaker, director, producer and pioneer Academy Director of the MultiChoice Talent Factory, Femi Odugbemi as head judge of the awards.

In her welcome speech, Busola Tejumola, executive head of content and channels, West Africa, MultiChoice described the 10th AMVCA as a celebration to mark a decade of brilliance, innovation, and the sheer magic of African storytelling on screen.

"The AMVCA has established itself as the benchmark for excellence in the African film industry. This edition is not just the celebration of excellence in filmmaking, but also a heritage of an award that has improved careers and boosted talent development on the continent,” she said.

Tejumola revealed that the entries received this year have tasked the jury and head judge as they have received a pool of quality entries to review.

“For this edition, we received entries from films and talent across Africa. Shortlisting has begun and we will now move to the judging phases. For this special edition, we are making changes to the award categories. The Best Actor and Best Actress, as well as Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories will now be determined by the jury. We are also delighted to announce ace filmmaker, director and producer, Femi Odugbemi, as the Head Judge for the 10th AMVCA," she added.

“In partnership with our sponsors, Amstel, Pepsi, Promasidor and Martell, we call on Africa to join in this celebration, as we begin with the announcement of final nominees in each category, live across all Africa Magic channels, on March 24, at 8pm. The voting portal will open immediately after the announcement,” Tejumola said.

The 10th AMVCA’s two-day celebration will kick off on May 10 with the Young Filmmakers and Content Creators event in the morning, followed by the Cultural Day and Opening Night celebration in the evening and the Main Awards Ceremony the night of May 11.

Commenting on the task before the award jury, Odugbemi said: “This prestigious award is celebrated for its unwavering dedication to excellence, and the jury remains steadfast in ensuring only the most outstanding works earn a spot on the nomination list. Having served as the head judge in previous editions, I can unequivocally state that evaluating the remarkable submissions by talent across Africa is an extremely challenging task I assure everyone that the final selection will truly represent the best in the field.”

Other sponsors of the 10^th AMVCAs include TECNO, Verve, QuickTeller, Tiger Beer, MTN and Indomie. The Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards is an annual accolade presented by MultiChoice recognising outstanding achievements in film and television production in Africa.