Nse Ikpe Etim won her first AMAA award as Best Actress in a Leading Role for her stellar performance in 4-4-44 (Four-Four Forty-Four).
By Helena Olori
Senegalese thriller, Xalé, emerged as the standout winner at the 19th Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), securing four wins out of six nominated categories. Directed by Moussa Sene Absa, the film clinched awards for Best Achievement in Costume Design, Best Achievement in Screenplay, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and the highly coveted Overall Best Film.
Mami Wata, Nigeria’s entry for the Oscar’s Best International Feature Film category, closely followed with three wins. The film won the accolades for Best Achievement in Make-Up, Best Achievement in Cinematography, and the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) Award for Best Nigerian Film.
Meanwhile, critically acclaimed titles – Aníkúlápó, Sira, Omen – each won two awards.
(Read also: Mami Wata, Aníkúlápó, Gangs of Lagos, Among Top Nominees For 2023 AMAA)
Notable individual wins at the awards night include Tobi Bakre (Brotherhood) who took the prize for Best Actor in a Leading Role, while the renowned Nse Ikpe Etim received the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for her stellar performance in 4-4-44 (Four-Four Forty-Four). The win marked a significant achievement for Ikpe Etim, who had been nominated for the same category multiple times since 2006.
(Read also: Ebuka Njoku’s Family Drama, ỤNỌ, Set for Release in Early 2024)
The annual awards, organised by the Africa Film Academy, celebrate the excellence and creativity of African cinema.
This year’s edition, the first since the passing of the founding icon, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, was hosted by Rahama Sadau, Nancy Isime, and Richard Ato Turkson. The event brought together industry players and talents from across the continent to applaud the remarkable achievements in African filmmaking.
See all winners at the 2023 AMAA, as announced by the organisers:
Efere Ozako Award for Best Short Film
Lions – Ethiopia
Jubril Malaifia Award for Best Animation
Jabari – Ghana
Best Documentary
Le Spectre de Boko Haram – Cameroon
Ousmane Sembene Award for Best Film in an African Language
Aníkúlápó – Nigeria
Michael Anyiam Osigwe Award for Best Film by an African-Born Director Living Abroad
KOFA – Jude Idada (Nigeria/Canada)
Best Diaspora Short Film
Raw Materials – (Jamaica) – directed by Sosiessia Nixon-Kelly
Best Diaspora Documentary
Sound of the Police – (United States) – directed by Stanley Nelson
Best Diaspora Narrative Feature
Our Father, The Devil – (United States) directed by Ellie Foumbi
Best Achievement in Production Design
Aníkúlápó– Nigeria
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Djibril Drame – Xalé – Senegal
Best Achievement in Make-Up
Campell Precious Arebamen – Mami Wata – Nigeria
Best Achievement in Soundtrack
Antoine Nshimiyimana – Fight Like A Girl – Rwanda
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Emmanuel Bassey – Gangs of Lagos – Nigeria
Best Achievement in Sound
Vianney Aube Sira – Burkina Faso
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Lilis Soares – Mami Wata – Nigeria
Best Achievement in Editing
Bertrand Conard – Omen – DRC
Best Achievement in Screenplay
Moussa Sene Absa, Pierre Magny, and Ben Diogay Beye – Xalé – Senegal
National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVB) Award for Best Nigerian Film
Mami Wata
Best Young/Promising Actor
Maleek Sanni – Gangs of Lagos
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Jimmy-Jean Louis – Rise
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Rokhaya Niang – Xalé – Senegal
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Tobi Bakre – Brotherhood – Nigeria
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nse Ikpe-Etim – 4-4-44 (Four-Four Forty-Four) – Nigeria
First Debut Feature by a Director
Baloji – Omen – DRC
Best Director
Apolline Traoré – Sira
Best Film
Xalé– Senegal