…Gravedigger’s Wife Is Best Film
Chuko and Ari Esiri’s widely-acclaimed feature film, ‘Eyimofe’ (This Is My Desire), on Sunday, won five awards at the 2021 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).
The celebrated film won in the Best Director, Best Nigerian Film, Best First Feature Film, Achievement in Sound, Achievement in Editing award categories.
Nominated in seven of the 26 categories, the GDN Studios-produced film had received rave reviews following its screening at several international film festivals across Europe and the Americas.
Also on the night, Ugandan actress Joan Agaba beat Funke Akindele and Rita Dominic to clinch AMAA Award For Best Actress In a Leading Role for her role in ‘Stain’.
Somali actor Omar Abdi also won the Best Actor In a Leading Role for ‘The Gravedigger’s Wife’ ahead of Nigeria’s Lateef Adedimeji, Jude Akuwudike and Nonso Bassey.
The Somali film, Gravedigger’s Wife, which was shot in Djibouti and which won the Overall Best Picture award at the recently held Pan African Festival of Film and Television (FESPACO) also won five awards in total at the star-studded AMAA awards which last night at the Lagos Marriot Hotel to the applause of dignitaries like Governor Babajide Sanwoolu of Lagos State who has pledged to host AMAA in the state for the next three years.
See full list of winners below:
EFERE OZAKO AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM
Meat – Uganda (WINNER)
Enroute – Bourkina Fasso
A Better Friend – Ghana
Find Me By The River – South Africa
In Extremis – DRC
Portrait of Princess Tutu – Cote d’Ivoire
The Long Night In Abuja – Nigeria
JUBRIL MALAFIA AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST ANIMATION
Room 5 – Ghana
Shaka-Inklosi Yamakhosi – South Africa
The Pyramid – Egypt
Mofiala – Togo
Lady Buckit & the Motley Mopster – Nigeria (WINNER)
A Thousand Fate – Uganda
White Nights – Algeria
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY
Softie – Kenya (WINNER)
The Sacred Woods – Tunisia
Postcard – Morocco
Unmasked: Leadership, Trust & the Pandemic – Nigeria
Linda Under Lockdown – South Africa
Bulembu: History of a Culture – DRC
Noboth – Uganda
Zindet – Niger
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST DIASPORA SHORT FILM
Three Leaves (Haiti) – WINNER
In Other News (Canada)
Blue (US)
The Berne Identity (Switzerland)
No Comprendo (UK)
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST DIASPORA DOCUMENTARY
Akwaaba – The Awakening (US)
African Redemption: the Life of Marcus Garvey (US) – WINNER
Race Today Documentary (UK)
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST DIASPORA NARRATIVE FEATURE
Ride Share (US)
Hal King (US)
Residue (US) – WINNER
MICHAEL ANYIAM OSIGWE AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST FILM BY AN AFRICAN LIVING ABROAD
Blackmail – Obi Emelonye (Nigeria/UK) WINNER
First Call – Angela Onuora (Nigeria/Canada)
K.I.A.B – Eric Zoa & Oleksii Osyka (Cameroon/USA)
Gone – Daniel Ademinokan (Nigeria/US)
OUSMANE SEMBENE AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST FILM IN AN AFRICAN LANGUAGE
Bangarang – Robin Odongo (Kenya)
Ayinla – Tunde Kelani (Nigeria)
The Gravedigger’s Wife – Khadar Ahmed (Somalia) – WINNER
Hotel on the Koppies – Charlie Vundler (South Africa)
Nyara – Ram Ally Kasongo (Tanzania)
Stain – Morris Mugisha (Uganda)
AMAA 2021 ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
African American (WINNER)
Buried
Oba Bi Olorun
Tecora
Eagles Wing
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKE-UP
Fried Barry
Tecora
The Gravedigger’s Wife (WINNER)
The Takers
Mission To Rescue
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECT
Nneka The Pretty Serpent
Stain
Fried Barry (WINNER)
The Takers
Mission to Rescue
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUNDTRACK
The Citation (WINNER)
Nyara (The Kidnapper)
The Gravedigger’s Wife
This Lady Called Life
Hotel on the Koppies
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND
Hairareb
African American
The Gravedigger’s Wife
Eyimofe (WINNER)
La Femme Anjola
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN
Tecora
The Takers
Nyara (The Kidnapping)
The Gravedigger’s Wife (WINNER)
Shadow Parties
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ayinla (WINNER)
Black Medusa
Stain
Nyara (The Kidnapping)
The Gravedigger’s Wife
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING
Mission to Rescue
Omo Ghetto: The Saga
Nyala (The Kidnapping)
Fried Barry
Eyimofe
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SCREEN PLAY
Chasing Lullaby
Where I Come From
Stain
Collission Course (WINNER)
Hairareb
AMAA 2021- NATIONAL FILM AND VIDEO CENSORS BOARD (NFVCB) AWARD FOR BEST NIGERIAN FILM
Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story
Ayinla
Eyimofe (WINNER)
The Citation
Omo Ghetto: The Saga
La Femme Anjola
Collission Course
Shadow Parties
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG/ PROMISING ACTOR
Wilmah Muremera – Shaina (WINNER)
Oluwabamike Olawunmi-Adenibuyan – Collission Course
Faith Fidel – Where I Come From
David Weda – Bangarang
Bertha Abdallah – Nyara (The Kidnapping)
Hannah Sukali – Fatsani: A Tale Of Survival
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Mulshid Mugabire – Monica
Kelechi Udegbe – Collission Course (WINNER)
Mehdi Hajri – Black Medusa
Cameron Scott – Hotel on the Koppies
Bimbo Manuel – Gone
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Gloria Anozie-Young – Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story
Naana Hayford – Chasing Lullaby
Tumi Morake – Seriously Single
Hazel Hinda – Hairareb (WINNER)
Ini Edo – The Citation
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Gary Green – Fried Barry
Lateef Adedimeji – Ayinla
Melvin Alusa – Mission To Rescue
Jude Akuwudike – Eyimofe
Omar Abdi – The Gravedigger’s Wife (WINNER)
David Njavera – Hairareb
Nonso Bassey – La Femme Anjola
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Lucie Memba Bois – Buried
Funke Akindele – Omo Ghetto: The Saga
Sarah Alina Grosz – Black Medusa
Joan Agaba – Stain (WINNER)
Phumi Mthembu – African America n
Rita Dominic – La Femme Anjola
Claudine de Groot – Hairareb
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST FIRST FEATURE FILM BY A DIRECTOR
Shaina – Beatrice Masvaure Alf (Zimbabwe)
African American – Muzi Mthembu (South Africa)
Eyimofe – Chuko & Ayie Esiri (Nigeria) (WINNER)
The Gravedigger’s Wife – Khadar Ahmed (Somalia) * Black Medusa – Youssef Chebbi & Ismael (Tunisia)
Fried Barry – Ryan Kruger (South Africa)
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Gilbert Lukalia – (Mission To Rescue)
Ryan Kruger – (Fried Barry)
Khadar Ahmed – (The Gravedigger’s Wife)
Morris Mugisha – (Stain)
Chuko & Ayie Esiri – (Eyimofe) (WINNER)
Oshoveli Shipoh – (Hairareb)
Ram Ally Kasongo – (Nyara/The Kidnapping)
Youssef Chebbi & Ismael – (Black Medusa)
AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST FILM
Mission To Rescue (Kenya)
Fried Barry (South Africa)
The Gravedigger’s Wife (Somalia) (WINNER)
Stain (Uganda)
Eyimofe (Nigeria)
Hairareb (Namibia)
Nyara:The Kidnapping (Tanzania)
Black Medusa (Tunisia)