By Oreoluwa Koledoye
Activities for the 17th edition of Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) have kicked off in earnest.
Founder of AMAA, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, revealed at a media parley in Lagos that part of her plans for the awards was to make a total of 100 movies in 18 months.
While introducing members of her team, she noted that she would be coordinating their activities to achieve the desired goal. Members of the team include Abiola Durodola and Oyinkan Talabi, who join AMAA director, Babajide Fadoju and Steve Ayorinde, president of the jury for this year’s edition.
According to Oyinka Talabi, project manager, this year’s edition of AMAA will hold on November 28, 2021, while the nomination list will be unveiled on October 21, 2021. She also revealed that plans are underway to produce a top notch awards ceremony.
In his speech, Abiola Durodola, who is in charge of the 100 Films Project, said the idea is to create a platform to make the ecosystem more coordinated to produce films that will meet international standards.
“To tackle the perennial unemployment challenges many youths are facing, we at African Film Academy are committed to creating a platform that gives African creative voices and access to the global market. This, we believe can be achieved through partnerships and collaborations with big brands across the continent,” he stated.
Durodola said further that not less than 10,000 creatives will be engaged in all the projects, which will be created in 18 months, and create at least 100,000 jobs for creatives.
“The aim is to finance 100 movie titles and 100 persons per project. This has the potential to employ 5,000 to 10,000 people per cycle, and as a revolving fund will over time create over 100,000 jobs. The 100 Films Project will incorporate the 3-week ‘Film in A Box Training’ that has been structured by the Africa Film Academy. The 100 Film Project is targeted at African creatives, it will allow them to collaborate and partner on new film projects. Through these projects, partner organizations will have their brands/products placed strategically in the films,” he affirmed.