AMAA 2024: How It Happened

The 20th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) was held on November 2nd, 2024 at the Balmoral Convention Centre Sheraton, Ikeja with Nigeria’s Segun Arinze and Ghana’s Joselyn Dumas as hosts.

As with previous editions, the event was a toast to excellence and innovation in African cinema and brought together filmmakers and stakeholders across Africa and the diaspora.

The ceremony featured 26 award categories in celebration of the artistry of first-time filmmakers and industry veterans, all decided by a jury headed by German film curator and AMAA-founding jury member, Dorothee Wenner.

The AMAA 2024 began with choreography and a well-deserved tribute to its late founder and media executive Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, who founded AMAA in 2005 to promote African filmmaking excellence under the Africa Film Academy.

The biggest winners at AMAA 2024 were Nigeria’s The Weekend and South Africa’s The Queenstown Kings, each with four awards. The Queenstown Kings won the Ousmane Sembene Award For Best Film In An African Language, Achievement In Sound, with Zolixa Xaluva named Best Actor In a Leading Role and Jahmil X.T Qubeka recognized as Best Director for their efforts in the film.

The Weekend, directed by Daniel Oriahi, won the National Film And Video Censors Board (NFVCB) Award For Best Nigerian Film, Achievement In Screenplay, Achievement In Cinematography, and Best Film. It is Kagho Idebhor’s first-ever award prize as a cinematographer.

Femi Adebayo’s Jagun Jagun won the awards for Achievement In Visual Effect and Achievement In Make-up, while the filmmaker himself won Best Actor In A Supporting Role for his sterling performance in the Yoruba epic film. Also recognized at the ceremony was Nigeria’s recent Oscar nomination, Mai Martaba, for its efforts in the costume design category.

The Awards also included Ali Musoke’s The Last Shoe Maker (Uganda) for Efere Ozako Award For Best Short Film, Counter Punch (Kenya) for Jubril Malafia Award For Best Animation, The Night Still Smells of Gunpowder (Mozambique) for Best Documentary, and Boda Love for Achievement In Soundtrack.

In categories highlighting excellence in acting, Jackie Appiah won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Red Carpet, while Elsie Chidera Abang emerged Best Actress In A Supporting Role for her performance in Kipkemboi. Michell Lemuya was named Best Young/Promising Actor for Nawi.

The diaspora community was not left out in the entire show, with Under The Hanging Tree (Namibia/UK) taking the Michael Anyiam Osigwe Award For Best Film By An African Living Abroad and Achievement In Editing. Similarly, The Neighbourhood Alert (USA) was named Best Diaspora Short Film, Outlaw Posse (USA) named Best Diaspora Narrative Feature, and Best Diaspora Documentary prize went to The Wu Tang Clan: Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre (USA).

There were special recognitions for French-Senegalese film director and screenwriter Alain Gomis and Zimbabwean writer and filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga. Likewise, awards for Lifetime Achievement were given to Souleymane Cisse (Mali), Nacer Khemir (Tunisia) and Haile Gerima (Ethiopia).