Africa Movie Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious film awards, but they are only awarded for achievements in the American film industry, with the exception of several categories. So many countries have inaugurated their own cinematic awards. For example, the Africa Movie Academy Awards are presented to recognize excellence in the African film industry.

The Africa Movie Academy Awards, popularly known as the AMA Awards and AMAA, are designed to honor and promote excellence in the African film industry, as well as to recognize the contribution of African and non-African professionals to the development of cinema, arts and culture on the African continent. The award was founded in 2005 by Nigerian filmmaker and entertainment executive Peace Aniyam-Osigwe who is credited with pioneering the screening of Nollywood (Nigerian) films at international film festivals.

Aniyam-Osigwe founded the Africa Film Academy, a body that governs the award ceremony. Its main goal is to facilitate the relevance and development of African cinema by providing a recognition and reward platform for filmmakers from all over the continent. Regarded as the most prestigious film award in Africa, AMAA showcases and rewards the most outstanding talents in the continent’s film industry.

The inaugural Africa Movie Academy Awards took place in Yenagoa, Nigeria on May 30, 2005. Since then, the ceremony has been held in several Nigerian cities, including Yenagoa, Abuja, Lagos, and Port Harcourt. The 2015 ceremony was held outside Nigeria for the first time; it took place in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. That year, Aniyam-Osigwe formally resigned as the CEO of the award ceremony.

As of 2017, the AMA Awards are presented in 28 categories. Most categories are typical for major film awards, but some are specific and reflect the African Film Academy’s goal to unite the African continent. They include Best Diaspora Feature, Best Diaspora Documentary, Best Diaspora Short Film, Best Nigerian Film, and Sembene Ousmane Awards for Best Film in an African Language (Ousmane was a Senegalese filmmaker who has often been called the “father of African film”).

The AMA Award for Best Film is considered the Grand Prix of the Africa Movie Academy Awards. As of 2017, it has been won by a Nigeria film for five times. Other winners include films made in South Africa, Mauritania, Ghana, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, and Senegal.

In 2020, the ceremony was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.