Last weekend, the African Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) returned for its 11th edition. Amongst its many winners are Chioma Akpotha for her role in ‘Seven Doors’ and Femi Adebayo for his performance in the same film. When the nomination list was first released, there were cries among fans, demanding why some movies and personalities were “snubbed”.
The AMVCA serves as the industry’s most prestigious award and might be the only award dedicated to honouring its creative players. Nollywood is one of the highest movie-producing countries, right next to Bollywood. Yet, it has one award saddled with accolading the work of its people. This begs the question, is the AMVCA enough?
Hundreds of films come out of Nollywood each year that even the biggest cinephiles fail to see them all. Award ceremonies tend to spotlight works and influence people to watch them. The scarcity of award bodies in the industry means only a few movies are appreciated. Many independent films who suffer marketing budgetary problems are locked out and miss out on the free marketing the ceremony would have accorded them.
The films are not the only ones locked out; the talent too. Nollywood is currently suffering repetitive casting; one can almost guess the faces behind newly announced projects. There are ripened talents in these indie films waiting to be harvested by casting directors and producers. The next Chioma Akpotha is probably a lead in an indie film that the majority of Nollywood’s fanbase is yet to see. This extends to the crew working in the backend. More people will get at least one foot through the door if recognition is not centralised.
The AMVCA existing as the one-stop shop for awards limits representation for both film and TV. The AMVCA has a TV show category that awards the best series, the acting, which only includes the main actors and the writing. A lot of TV shows get lost during the nominations. Some genres do not make it in and many talents are not recognised for their work.
Film and TV are both powerful visual narrative forms that make use of characters, settings and dialogue to tell their stories. However, the audience spends more time with characters in TV shows, as this format allows for deeper exploration of characters due to its length. It is plausible to expect a separate award body honouring the work put into television. It allows for more people in the industry to receive their flowers.
This is not to say that there are no award bodies that honour both TV shows and films on the same night; the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards do the same but these are two awards amongst many serving Hollywood. The difference is the abundance of these award bodies in Hollywood’s service.
The push for more award ceremonies is not simply rooted in the plaques but the power they hold. Winning an award can cause a person’s career to soar. They can lead to an increase in the demand for their services. Directors may get bigger budgets and the opportunity to work with highly rated actors and producers. The plaque also stands as social currency, which can be a talent’s invite into industry circles capable of advancing careers.
Award ceremonies are a great place to network, as they gather top producers, actors, directors, cinematographers, financiers and the like. These events provide opportunities to forge connections and partnerships that can be resourceful for future projects. These collaborations may lead to funding, co-production and even distribution deals.
Acquiring these awards encourage talents to scale up and negotiate deals that are a reflection of their rating. Whether it is better residuals or distribution deals.
The AMVCA cannot remain as Nollywood’s sole award body. They have done great work in acknowledging the duly merited talent but they have a certain bandwidth to maintain. The call for more award bodies will also benefit the group, as it will save them from fatigue.
Despite the industry’s shortcomings, it has also seen the emergence of smaller award ceremonies commending good work, like the The Film Joint Awards devoted to short films and the Best of Nollywood awards (BON).
As Nollywood’s global attention grows, there is a need for the industry to evolve with it. It is time for another industry award to spring up. The Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) or industry stakeholders could fill in this gap. And if the AMVCA wants to continue as the only runner in the race, now is the best time to start rethinking strategy.
