All the Colours of the World are Between Black and White, and White Nanny Black Child make history with the Special Jury Prize.
By Helena Olori
The 12th edition of the African International Film Festival (AFRIFF), dedicated to honouring the art of cinema and showcasing immense talent from Africa and the African diaspora, concluded on Saturday with a spectacular closing Globe Awards ceremony in Lagos.
The year’s festival received an overwhelming response of over 2,000 films from more than 100 countries across five continents. The jury, comprising seven veterans from both Nollywood and Hollywood, announced the outstanding winners at the awards night, to wrap up the five-day event which featured screenings, panel discussions, and competitions.
Babatunde Apalowo’s directorial debut, All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White, stole the spotlight, winning the Special Jury Prize. The queer romantic drama shares the honour with the Andy Mundy-Castle-directed documentary, White Nanny Black Child, in a historic dual recognition.
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White Nanny Black Child, described as provocating, explores the trauma stories of over 70,000 West African children, principally Nigerians, who were unofficially fostered by white British families between 1955 and 1995 without regulations, in a bid to address the issue of childcare for economic migrants. It earned the Best Documentary award.
Other notable winners include the Bolanle Austen-Peters-directed Funmilayo Ransom Kuti‘s biopic, which clinched both Best Screenplay and Best Feature Film awards. The Audience Choice Award went to I Do Not Come To You By Chance, which resonated with the festival-goers.
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Gregory Ojefua’s compelling performance in This is Lagos|Black Harvest earned him the Best Male Performance title, while Ellie Foumbi’s direction in Our Father The Devil earned her the Best Director award.
Outstanding Nollywood actors, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Funke Akindele, Tobi Bakre, Chioma Chukwuka, Ini Edo, Chidi Mokeme, Adedimeji Lateef, Femi Adebayo Salami, and Kunle Remi were also honoured by AFRIFF courtesy of MTN Nigeria.
See all the winners below:
- Special Jury Prize – All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White and White Nanny Black Child
- Best International Feature Film – Brothers by Darkhan Tulegenov
- Best Director – Ellie Foumbi (Our Father The Devil)
- Audience Choice Award – I Do Not Come To You By Chance by Ishaya Bako
- Best Documentary – White Nanny Black Child by Andy Mundy-Castle
- Oronto Douglas Best Feature Film –Funmilayo Ransom Kuti by Bolanle Austen-Peters
- Best Performance (Male) – Gregory Ojefua in This is Lagos|Black Harvest
- Best Screenplay – Tunde Babalola for Funmilayo Ransom Kuti
- Best Animation – When Hearts Touch by Nkem Andrea Denchukwu
- Best International Short Film – Nzu by Conscian Morgan
- Access Bank Best Short Film – Until 23 by Chioma Paul-Dike
- Best Student Short Film – Man and Masquerade by Adekunle Blue.