The Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice (AMVCA) nominee list is in, and major Kenyan acts have been listed to face off with other bigwigs in the African film industry.
The local personalities who have been nominated include Sarah Hassan, in the Best Actress in a Comedy (Movie/TV Series) category for her role in the romantic comedy Just In Time; and producer/director Eugene Mbugua for This Love in the Best Documentary category.
Actress Mumbi Maina also secured a slot in the Best Supporting Actress in a movie/TV Series for her role in the psychological thriller film La Femme Anjola.
Hassan will be going up against Nigerian actresses Funke Akindele, Bimbo Ademoye, Nse Nkpe Etim, Bisola Aiyeola and Nancy Isime in the Best Actress, Comedy category.
Maina has been nominated alongside Nigerian actresses Bisola Aiyeola, Mercy Johnson, Clarion Chukwurah, Enado Odigie, Omowunmi Dada and Chioma Akpotha in the Best Supporting Actress category.
The nominations hint at yet another big night ahead for Just In Time, which received major recognition at Kenya Film Commission’s Kalasha Awards that took place in December 2021.
The romantic comedy has secured a spectacular list of nominations on this year’s AMVCA, having been floated for categories like Best Overall Movie, Best Actress in a Comedy, Best Movie East Africa, Best Picture Editor, Best Sound Track and Best Cinematographer.
The film, which premiered on Netflix in March 2021 is a project produced by the celebrated actress Sarah Hassan, who worked with the celebrated Nigerian filmmaker Dolapo Adeleke as co- director and co-producer.
The up- tempo movie was filmed in Nairobi in 2019, and not only stars Hassan but a list of notable and respected actors both locally and across Africa.
Big names featured on the film include Ghanaian actor Mawuli Gavor, famous actress and Dj Pierra Makena, Martin Githinji, Eve D’Souza and talented child actress Stycie Waweru.
Hassan was notably one of the biggest winners at Kalasha, taking home the coveted Best Lead Actress in a Feature Film and Best Feature Film awards for Just In Time. She also won Best Lead Actress in a TV drama for her Showmax drama series Crime and Justice.
The AMVCAs are an accolade by the Multichoice entertainment company, recognizing outstanding performances in film and television.
This year’s list was unveiled on a special broadcast aired on Gotv and DStv on March 19 with Nollywood actors Adesua Etomi-Wellington and Daniel Etim-Effiong announcing the nominees.
The 8th edition of the AMVCAs are set to take place on May 14.
According to Nigerian entertainment site Vanguard, the award organisers revealed that there would be an eight- day line-up of events, culminating in the awarding ceremony.
“We received a good number of quality entries from across the continent for this edition of the AMVCAs and we are pleased to reveal the final shortlist of nominees, which we are confident embody the excellence the awards is renowned for, ” Executive Head of Content & West Africa Channels, MultiChoice Group, Dr Busola Tejumola said in a press briefing.
She added: “Curated events will feature a celebration of fashion, technology, food and African culture. There will also be panel discussions and film screenings from our MultiChoice Talent Factory, industry sessions, and competitions for digital content creators and budding fashion designers.”
The award show is on its 8th year. It last took place in 2020, and was skipped in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2020, Sarah Hassan won the coveted Best Movie East Africa award for the romantic comedy Plan B. Another local star, Pascal Tokodi won the Best Supporting Actor in a movie/ TV series.
