Heading in to the 2nd Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards, Gollywood’s best and good were among the fabric of top contenders of the year.
Majid Michel was in the best actor category with his award-winning film ‘Somewhere in Africa’. Additionally, Yvonne Okoro and Jackie Appiah were placed opposite each other in the best actress comedy category for ‘Contract’ and ‘Cheaters’ respectively, while Chris Attoh secured a deserving spot in the best supporting actor drama category for ‘Flower Boy’.
On the side of recognized figures behind the camera, producing partners Shirley Frimpong-Manso and Ken Attoh were in every major bracket that added much credit to the works of a filmmaker. Shirley and Attoh’s ‘Contract’ which they executive produced alongside Okoro was nominated for best movie Africa, best movie director (Shirley), best comedy movie, best writer drama (Shirley and Hertey Owusu), best art director and best video editor (Shirley).
The film was explicitly a good one based on its exciting storyline and diverse casting that featured Nollywood’s Joseph Benjamin and South Africa’s Homla Dandala.
Okoro plays Abena Boateng, a bubbly local girl who gets contracted by successful businessman Peter Popolampo (Homla) to bear him a child and later disappear. Contrary to Peter’s vision on how smooth and quiet things should turn out, the months and days leading to the baby’s arrival spark much drama between him and the baby mama.
Clearly a masterpiece that sways from the usual Gollywood orientation, the AMVCA was in agreement with the Africa Movie Academy Awards (which nominated it the year before, 2013) to spray multiple nominations on the film. It was nominated in six categories at the AMAAs including best actress for Okoro and best director for Shirley.
Despite the AMAA shut out in all categories at the main ceremony, the AMVCA judged otherwise by awarding it the best African film of the year over ‘Last Flight to Abuja’, ‘Flower Girl’, ‘Living Funeral’ and ‘Awakening’. It’s the first and only time a Ghanaian production has won the biggest prize at the AMVCA. Shirley also picked up best movie director, best writer (together with Hertey) and best video editor.
At such a time when the local industry was in its early stage of inactivity, ‘Contract’s’ ground-breaking nominations and wins were top offering cards meant to generate some hole of hope for the industry. Conversely to the imagined intent, ‘Contract’ only did good for itself, but failed to bounce the industry back to its popularity.
Image Credit: Onobello.com
