AMAA 2021 NOMINATIONS: Gravedigger’s Wife, Ayinla, Omo Ghetto: The Saga Leads

Somalian movie, ‘The Gravedigger’s Wife’; and Nigerian movies, ‘Ayinla’ and ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’ have got the most nominations for the 2021 edition of the prestigious Africa Movie Academy Awards.

‘The Gravedigger’s Wife’ had 10 nominations in categories such as ‘Best Film in African Language’, ‘Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role’ and ‘Best Director’. ‘Ayinla’ had four nominations in categories including ‘Best Film in an African Language’, ‘Achievement in Cinematography’ and ‘Best Actor in a Leading Role’. Meanwhile, ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’ got nominations in categories such as ‘Best Nigerian Film’, ‘Best Actress in a Leading Role’ and ‘Achievement in Editing’.

While announcing the nominees for the 26 categories of the award, the head of jury, Steve Ayorinde, said movies were submitted from different countries of the continent. He also noted that the 2021 list of nominees reflected the brilliance of filmmakers across the continent.

The AMAA 2021 Gala and Award is scheduled to hold on November 28, 2021, at the Marriot Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, and will be televised live in more than 40 countries across Africa and other countries worldwide.

Founded in 2005 by Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, AMAA has consistently celebrated the excellence of the best of African cinema.

Notable categories of the awards include the ‘Efere Ozako Award For Best Short Film’ with nominees such as ‘Meat’ (Uganda), ‘Enroute’ (Burkina 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); ‘Nyara (The Kidnapper)’, ‘The Gravedigger’s Wife’, ‘This Lady Called Life’, ‘Hotel on the Koppies’; Best Nigerian Film with nominees such as ‘Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story’, ‘Ayinla’, ‘Eyimofe’, ‘The Citation’, ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’, ‘La Femme Anjola’, ‘Collission Course’, ‘Shadow Parties’;  Best Actor in a Leading Role with nominees such as Gary Green  in ‘Fried Barry’, Lateef Adedimeji in ‘Ayinla’, Melvin Alusa  in ‘Mission To Rescue’, Jude Akuwudike in ‘Eyimofe’, Omar Abdi in ‘The Gravedigger’s Wife’, David Njavera in ‘Hairareb’, Nonso Bassey in ‘La Femme Anjola’; Best Actress in a Leading Role with nominees including Lucie Memba Bois in ‘Buried’, Funke Akindele in ‘Omo Ghetto: The Saga’, Sarah Grosz in ‘Black Medusa’, Joan Agaba in ‘Stain’, Phumi Mthembu in ‘African American’, Rita Dominic in ‘La Femme Anjola’, Claudine de Groot in ‘Hairareb’.