Entertainment
How Nollywood Dominated AMAA Awards
Last Saturday June 11,
marked another milestone in the annals of the African Movie Academy Award AMAA; at Port Harcourt, The Garden City of Nigeria and capital city of Rivers State, the nation’s treasure base hosted the 12th edition of the continental movie awards held at the prestigious Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Elekahia amidst pomp, glamour, glitz and razzmatazz.
Despite losing two of the major awards of the night, best film of the year and best director of the year awards to Burkina Faso and Ghana respectively, nollywood maintained its solid position as Africa’s Biggest film industry at this year’s continental movie awards, the AMAA. Nigeria carted away 10 out of the 24 awards categories given out this year, beating South Africa which won five awards and fast holding Burkina Faso Film Industry which got four awards, while Ghana came fourth with three awards. The event attracted constellation of movie stars and other entertainers and showbiz personalities as well as government officials and captains of industries among other distinguished guests.
The full list of awardees included:
Efere Ozako AMAA 2016 Award for Best Short Film “Meet The Parents” Nigeria/Canada.
Best Animation -“The Pencil” Burkina Faso
Best documentary-“The Fruitless Tree” Niger
Best Diaspora Short Film “Across the Track” – USA
Award for best film by an African living abroad – “Lambadina” Ethiopia/USA
Best Diaspora feature- “Ben and Ara” –USA
Best Diaspora documentary ‘Agents of Change’ USA
Achievement in costume design- “Eye of the Storm”
Achievement in Production Design “The Cursed One” Ghana play
Achievement in make-up “Soldiers Story”- Nigeria
Achievement in Soundtrack “o-Town” Nigeria
Achievement in Visual effects “Oshiminri” Nigeria
Achievement in Cinematography “The Cursed One”
Achievement in Editing “Hear me Move” AMAA 2016 play.
Achievement in screenplay “Tell Me Sweet Something”
Best film in an African language “Missing God” Nigeria
Best actor in a supporting role. Abidine Dioari “Eye of the storm”
Best actress in supporting role Thishiwe Ziqubu – “Tell me sweet something”
Best actress in a leading role Fulu Mugovhani – “Ayanda”
Best actor in a leading role – Daniel K. Daniel – “Soldiers story” Nigeria
Best feature film by a director “Beyond Blood” Greg Odutayo
Life time achievement award – Olu Jacobs and Joke Silva (RMD) – Richard Mofe Damijo
Best film – Eye of the Storm – Burkina Faso
Best director – Nana Obiri – Yaboah, “Maximilian clausse”
Best young/promising actor – Zubaidat Ibrahim Fagge – Dry
Rivers State Government endowed for best Nigerian film – “Dry”
Among the dignitaries that graced the occasion included: His Excellency, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, (CON)
Governor of Rivers State and his wife, Her Excellency Hon. Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom Wike, Hon. Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, her Excellency, Dr. Mrs Ipalibo Harry Banigo, Deputy Governor Rivers State, Rt Hon Adams Dabotorudima, Speaker Rivers State House of Assembly , Chief Judge of Rivers State, Hon Justice A. I Iyaya Lamikarika, Hon Commissioner for Culture and Toursim, Mrs Tonye Briggs Oniyide and other members of the Rivers State executive council.
Also present at the event were founder of AMAA, Mrs Peace Anyiam Osigwe, his Excellency, Chief S. Dickson Governor, Bayelsa State, Senator David Mark, Prince Uche Secondus, former Rivers State governor, His Excellency. Barr. Celestine Omehia, members of the entertainment profession such as veteran actor, Pete Edochie, RMD, Stephanie Linus, Harrysong, Arinze Baba, Patience Ozokwor, among several others.
Critics claimed that her body makeover was one of the reasons she allegedly left the marriage and noted that she was still out in public with the video of her club outing.
Reacting to the allegations, Ogbodo came to Bambam’s defence. She stated that no woman would leave her marriage simply because she went under the knife. According to her, it is the man who drives a woman to leave.
The mother of three further explained that no woman willingly leaves a marriage she has invested in over many years. If a woman does leave, it is the man’s fault, possibly due to abuse that she chooses not to disclose publicly.
She added that a man must have shown the woman disrespect or failed to nurture the marriage.
Ogbodo emphasised that if a man refuses to love, protect, and give peace to his wife, the responsibility for the breakdown rests entirely with him.
It would be recalled that Uche Ogbodo also recently underwent cosmetic surgery and shared videos with her fans online,
The actress had remained on the lips of many Nigerians following her role in the trending movie Love in Every Word.
Nollywood actress Kate Henshaw has expressed her distaste for individuals who attend events without being invited. The actress in an Instagram video, spoke about the importance of self respect and being considerate.
Nollywood actress Kate Henshaw has expressed her distaste for individuals who attend events without being invited. The actress in an Instagram video, spoke about the importance of self respect and being considerate.
The Tide Entertainment reports that she questioned the popular act of ‘gate crashing’, regarding it as a rude and disrespectful behaviour. Henshaw also urged Nigerians to refrain from attending gatherings where they are not invited.Nigerian Politics Analysis
”I want to talk about something rampant, has been rampant, and is still rampant. I just want to ask those of you who show up uninvited at events and parties, what’s your purpose? What do you aim to achieve? Then, those of you who receive a card that admits only one person and invite all your village people, don’t check with the host; you pack your people and come. What are you doing there? Why don’t you respect yourself and stay away? It’s rude, you’re a gate crasher. Respect yourself enough to stay away from places you aren’t invited to,” she said.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unveiled dates for both the 99th Academy Awards and its landmark 100th ceremony. The back-to-back events, set for 2027 and 2028, will mark the final years of the Oscars airing on longtime broadcast partner ABC before a major shift to YouTube.
The 99th Oscars will take place on Sunday, March 14, 2027, followed by the historic 100th edition on Sunday, March 5, 2028. Both ceremonies will broadcast live at 7 p.m. ET from the iconic Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and reach audiences in over 200 territories worldwide. Looking ahead, the Academy has also confirmed a venue change, with the ceremony set to move to the Peacock Theater beginning in 2029, where it will remain through 2039.
The Tide Entertainment reports that the announcement comes amid a shifting broadcast landscape. ABC is gearing up for a packed 2027 schedule, including its debut as the home of the Grammy Awards and its first Super Bowl broadcast in over two decades. Meanwhile, this year’s Oscars telecast saw a dip in viewership, drawing 17.86 million viewers across ABC and Hulu, a 9% decline from the previous year’s five-year high.
Still, excitement around the awards remains strong. The most recent ceremony crowned Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” as Best Picture, while early buzz for the upcoming season is already building. Anticipated contenders include the Ryan Gosling-led “Project Hail Mary,” Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Three” starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Digger” featuring Tom Cruise.
No hosts have been announced yet for either ceremony, adding another layer of anticipation to the milestone events.
In addition to confirming the ceremony dates, the Academy also released its full calendar for the 2026–2027 awards season, outlining key milestones from the eligibility period beginning January 1, 2026, to nominations voting in January 2027, and final voting in early March.