Akintola, Okereke Battle Others For AMAA Diadem

Nominations for the 2010 African Movie Academy Awards have set star actresses, Bimbo Akintola and Stephanie Okereke, in keen contest for the Best Actress in a Leading Role.

While Akintola is in the race for her performance in Freedom in Chains, Okereke's appearance is based on her role in Nnenda.

Both are, however, in battle with their continental colleagues - Flora Suya, Akofa Asiedu, Jackie Apia, Lydia Farson - also nominated on the strength of their performances in Season of Life, I Sing of a Well and The Perfect Picture.

This was part of the report given by AMAA's College of Screeners on Saturday night, when the nomination party was held in Accra, Ghana. Amidst musical and comic performances, the College's Chairman, Mr. Shuaibu Hussein, gave details of how it arrived at a short list of 30 films from the 500 entries it received. While many were disqualified for flouting AMAA rules, he said, 208 were treated by the screeners, with 65 making it to the third level of screening.

“Eventually, 30 films were handed over to AMAA's jury,” he said at the occasion held at Menvic Hotel, where many stakeholders were present.

For the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, the nomination projects films dominant in other categories. Here, Ramseh Noah, hero of Kunle Afolayan's The Figurine, is nominated alongside Lucky Ejim, his counterpart in Jude Idada/Ejim's The Tenant shot between Canada and Nigeria. They are in the race with Majid Michael (Sin of the Soul), Odera Ozoka (Soul Dispora) and John Agyeman (I Sing of a Well). Further nominations show that the films here are a force to reckon with.

For instance, while Afolayan is on the list for the Best Director category, alongside Shemu Joya (Seasons of a Life); Shirley Frimpong-Manso (The Perfect Picture); Leila Djansi (I Sing of a Well); and Jude Idada and Ejim (The Tenant), The Figurine is also nominated for the Best Cinematography and Best Picture categories.
Other Nigerian films that gave a good account of themselves are Nnenda, AMBO's The Child nominated in The Best Costume and Most Promising Actor; and OmoIya Kan, nominated in the Best Film in Indigenous Language.

The impact of Yoruba films is very thin. Unlike last year when Tunde Kelani's Arugba and some others, as well as Funke Akindele stood to be counted, only Omo Iya Kan made it to the final. But Hussein's explanation on the disqualified films largely account for this. Some of the Yoruba films submitted are punctuated with adverts as their promoters failed to send editor's copies.

But as was the case last year, the nominations indicate that Nigerian films that have so far survived the pruning have a keen battle ahead of them as products from Ghana, South Africa and other countries are waiting to be counted.