The Africa Movie Academy Awards has rolled out its 2021 process.
The prestigious event, which honours the best and good in the Africa film industry is prompting filmmakers across the continent to submit their projects for possible nomination.
The submission window is expected to run from now to July 31. Final lists of nominees will be announced on September 30, with the big night scheduled to take place at the latter part of the year, November.
According to the organizers, films produced and released between January 2020 and July 31, 2021 are eligible for consideration. Excited filmmakers hoping to secure a nomination(s) for their projects must accompany their entry form with the synopsis of the film, the list of credits, marketing stills of the film, filmographies of the directors and producers, copies of the film in 3DVDs or a hard drive, plus a compulsory online submission via Vimeo/WeTransfer and proof of right to submit the project.
Filmmakers are also reminded to provide active contacts of their cast and crew, who they anticipate to receive nominations at the end of the process.
Filmmakers are also to take note that, projects that will be considered as a full-length feature film must not exceed the 120-minute requirement. Likewise, in the short film category, submitted projects should not go beyond 40 minutes of screen time.
The 2021 AMAAs will run around near 30 film categories including Best Africa Film in the Diaspora and Best Diaspora Short Film.
Currently in its 17th edition, it is unclear whether the main ceremony will follow the virtual format this year as it did last year, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the course of its near two-decade existence, the event monikered the Oscars of Africa has served as a solid shield to the careers of some of the big guns in the industry. Ghanaian actress Jackie Appiah’s AMAA wins in the best supporting actress (2007) and best actress (2010) afford her the bragging rights as the only Ghanaian film player to have won two acting categories on a pan African platform.
Last year’s event saw Nigeria’s ‘The Milkmaid’ win Best Film Africa and Best Nigerian Film. Pascal Aka’s ‘Gold Coast Lounge’ also won Best Sound Track, while Comfort Arthur’s ‘I’m Living In Ghana Get Me Out Of Here’ won Best Animation.
