The stage is set for third Riverwood Academy Awards

Local filmmakers and silver screen stars will on Saturday adorn the red carpet at the Nairobi National Museums as the third Riverwood Academy Awards take shape.

The Awards founded by Mwaniki Mageria seek to recognise works of men and women who do low-budget films and have local content and stories at heart.

“Riverwood people tell Kenyan stories in the Kenyan way,” said Mr Mwaniki during the launch at the Prestige Plaza attended by among others Kenya Film Classification Board CEO Ezekiel Mutua and his Kenya Film commission counterpart Lizzie Chongoti.

The able team of Producer Appie Matere, Content creator and distributor Wangeci Murage, Eugene Mbugua, Kenyatta University Theatre and Film arts lecturer Dr. Zippy Okoth, Charity Macharia, Machawood CEO Victor Muniafu, Producer and Chief Judge at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards 2016 Njoki Muhoho that make this year’s jury will give their verdict in a colourful ceremony beamed live on some of the entertainment TV channels.

They will have sieved through a total of 72 entries including 49 Feature Films, 13 series, seven short films and three films from Uganda giving the awards some regional status for the first time.

Some of the nominees to look for include Kimathi Iceberg whose TV series Haiyaiyah has bagged seven nominations and nominated for the Best Director in a TV series together with Sam Soko of the film Sibini, Kang’ethe Mungai of the film Ngahiha Cia Wendo and Gilbert Lukalia of the flick Pray & Prey.

The battle will be big among Haiyaiya, Sibini and Pray and Prey as seen in the nominations of Anthony Macharia, Jacob Otieno and Pascal Tokodi from the three films for the Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series category that also has Mr & Mrs Singh’s Charles Kimani

“We are elated for the nominations we have received and we can only hope for the best,” says Haiyaiya’s Kimathi Icerberg.

Haiyaiya is a comedy series that depicts a society full of ills and seeks to ameliorate them by not only exposing moral decadence but having role models in the series as heroes.

Sibini, produced in 2014 won the Best Short Film on Youth and Reproductive Health at the second edition of the Sanaa Theatre Awards and last year had several nominations and wins at the Kalasha Awards and seek to expand its popularity at Riverwood this year.

Nominees for the Best Actor in Film category include Samuel Ngunjiri – Confession, Jacob Otieno – Sibini, Mike Njeru – What Goes Around, Solomon Muingi – Wicked, Likobe – Sokomoko and Gerald Langiri – Happy Anniversary.

Those in contention for the Best Actress in Film category include Jackie Kaboi – Bait, Faith King’ola – Confession, Jackie Wahome – Choices, Gift Terry – Ante Dre, Anastasia Mwawasi – Wicked, Lydia Manani – Mad Love. The awards are coming at a time when Mr Ezekiel Mutua and his team at KFCB has come out with guns blazing on the nature of content in films that may have adverse effects on children.

First it was the war to have Netflix have their content looked at for sex and violence content and have it graded with his pundits arguing that Netflix should be committed to running Kenyan Content as well in their Video on Demand functions.

“They should be asked to give at least 30 per cent of their content form Kenya’s own products,” suggested media guru Rose Kimotho at a stakeholders meeting attended by Culture CS Hassan Wario and his P.S Joe Okudo.

Notably KFCB is sponsoring this year’s Riverwood Awards in a strategy of working with filmmakers to have national values and morals embedded among the populace to avoid them getting to censorship stages.

“We are working with content producers including filmmakers and the stage plays directors so that we can together move the agenda of protecting our children from harmful ideologies together,” said Mr Mutua when he spoke to The Standard.

Other awards for the night includes Best Supporting Actress in Film with Millicent Ogutu in Bait, Muthoni Thiong’o in What Goes Around, Ruth Wacuka in What Goes Around, Eunice Muigai in Vanity and Wambui Ngari in Sage contesting.

Importantly the Best Feature will go to either Hidaya, Intertwined, Nduthi, Kisu Cha Ngariba or Broken To Heal.