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| ABIOLA ALABI & JOHN UGBE |
At two gala events held last night, in Lagos and Nairobi,
AfricaMagic and MultiChoice Africa presented their latest joint initiative THE AFRICAMAGIC
VIEWERS’ CHOICE AWARDS. The exciting announcement was made during a special
episode of the popular AfricaMagic magazine show Jara, which is screened to DStv audiences in 47 countries across
the continent.
Created to celebrate African film and television
talent, both in front of and behind the cameras, the Awards will feature
several special categories in which viewers will decide the winners directly,
alongside several professionally judged categories.
In total, 28 awards in 26 categories will be awarded ranging
from acting and directing to script-writing and cinematography. Other fields
which will be honored include editing, make-up, sound, lighting and costuming
among others. In addition the awards will feature two categories destined to become
annual talking points – the Industry Merit Award and the TrailBlazer of the
Year Award.
Awards will be handed out at two separate events to be
held in March 2013 in Lagos – the first event will be dedicated to standout
technical accomplishments while the main event will be a glittering, glamourous
gala night. Both events will be screened to DStv audiences across the continent
with the gala being screened live.
In order to ensure that the awards are transparent,
fair and credible, AfricaMagic has recruited leading and respected industry veteran
Femi Odugbemi to take on the role of executive judge and has confirmed that all
the awards will be verified by an independent auditing company to be appointed
shortly.
Commenting on the Awards, M-Net Africa Managing
Director Biola Alabi is confident that this is an opportunity to build a pan-African
event that is both relevant to industry professionals and vastly entertaining
to fans.
“It has been part of our plan to create a specific event
that honors, celebrates and recognizes those people who are giving so much of
their talent and creativity to ensuring the popularity and evolution of African
film and TV. And to do this in partnership with MultiChoice illustrates the
level to which both companies value this industry and are willing to invest in
its future.”
She went on to say, “Following the successful launch
earlier this year of an expanded line-up of AfricaMagic channels, we are now
totally focused on these Awards. We are aiming to create a platform that
showcases and supports the film and television community, while simultaneously
entertaining and engaging viewers. While we are aware that there are challenges
ahead we are committed to the success of this initiative as we truly believe it
will contribute positively to the efforts of filmmakers from Lagos to Nairobi,
Lusaka to Kampala and all across Africa.”
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| ABIOLA ALABI & RAMSEY NOUAH |
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BIOLA ALABI, OSAS, MAJID & MAYO
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