Good evening Africa and the rest of the world.
I bring you warm greetings from Lagos Nigeria and due courtesies from other members of the AMAA Jury.
This has been an unusual year, no thanks to the covid-19 pandemic that has changed the pattern of social interaction globally.
With fresh lockdowns in many parts of the world, social and physical distancing and challenges associated with flying, the AMAA Jury has had to work mainly virtually this year, in first selecting the nominees last month and in picking today’s winners.
What my colleagues from other parts of Africa, Europe and the United States have displayed is true commitment to this great brand that celebrates the cinema of Africa and the African Diaspora.
With their collective resolve to stay committed to the AMAA dream and love for the motion picture industry, they further signpost the fact that no unseen enemy can keep a determined soul down perpetually.
As the Academy of Jurors, therefore, we are happy to join AMAA and African filmmakers as well as other creatives in standing firm against the vicious but hopefully temporary set-back of this pandemic.
We would like to salute the courage of the entire AMAA team and its Governing Council, especially Ms. Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, the Founder and President of this great initiative for carefully and strategically pushing ahead in making sure that this brand that has become established as the singular most important award event for the continent of Africa has maintained an unbroken record for 16 solid years.
We consider it a privilege to have been entrusted with the task of determining the films and filmmakers that best deserve the honours from AMAA this year. And we are pleased to have winners selected in all the 26 categories.
With hundreds of submissions from practically every African country and the African Diaspora, we are glad that many filmmakers are unrelenting and that the continent has chosen to remain busy in the art of quality storytelling via the cinema medium.
Indeed, we are very delighted that this year, many of the quality submissions are films shot in various African languages.
It is a thing of joy to us on the Jury that majority of the films competing for top honours are also listed in the Best Film In An African Language category.
This seeming renaissance is significant and we hope that the momentum will endure as the attention of the world is once again focusing on Africa and quality content it has in abundance to share with the rest of the world.
In embracing the new normal and joining voices of hope in the campaign to help defeat this unprecedented challenge, we are confident that science and humanity will once again prevail and there will always be the need for filmmakers, actors and other creatives who bring joy and succour to troubled souls to thrive, shine and be duly rewarded.
Thank You and Viva African Cinema.
Steve Ayorinde
President of AMAA Jury 2020, delivered the Jury Statement at the Virtual Edition of the Award Ceremony
