We Never Discriminate Against Any Entry —AMVCA

Nigeria’s Femi Odugbemi and Debbie Odutayo, two members of AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards nominee selection team, have revealed that every entry submitted for the continental awards was processed. They disclosed this during a breakfast media chat at Protea Leadway, Maryland, Lagos recently.

“The entries came from everywhere. Even programmes shown on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and other stations entered for the awards were processed. We even allowed the content owner to put forward his best episodes, which we would judge. That is why we had 380 entries,” said Odugbemi, the executive judge of the awards.

He explained how it took the professionalism and experience of the judges to come out with 47 nominees from almost 400 movies that were submitted all around Africa.

Fellow juror, Odutayo added that AMVCA is a specialist event that calls for entries from a very specific professional industry, which was why the team anticipated high entries.

“We had a clear idea of how many entries we could expect for such an awards initiative in Africa, based on other events of this nature. So we’re pleased that we were able to exceed our expectations in Year One,” Odutayo stated.

The two admit the important roles of other film and television awards on the continent, but explained that AMVCA is different.

“The AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards serves to complement these initiatives and not to compete with them. The key differences between the AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards and other awards of this genre are that the AMVCAs will be screened live to 47 countries across the continent and will include public voting in specific categories,” Odugbemi revealed.

Joining Odugbemi and Odutayo on the nominee selection team are other film and television professionals from different countries in Africa. They include Allison Triegaardt, Armand-Guy de Beer, Bongiwe Selane, Ebou Waggeh, Eileen Sandrock, Njoki Muhoho, Phad Mutumba and Richard West.

P.M.NEWS Showbiz Trends learnt that with the exception of Odugbemi, the executive judge, another team of film and television professionals will be constituted to form the final industry judging panel which will pick winners.

The reason is for this is simple. “The AMVCA wants to ensure that its awards are judged fairly by a wide enough group of professionals to ensure that winners are picked credibly and by a substantial grouping of their peers,” Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, regional manager, M-Net said.

She said the identities of members of the industry judging panel, who will pick winners in certain categories, will not be announced until the 2013 AMVCA winners are announced. This is to ensure that none of the judges on the industry judging panel is exposed to lobbying by any individual or production in order to gain an advantage.

The nominees for the 2013 AMVCAs were announced on 28 January at an exquisite event held at Porsche Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos and screened live during a special one hour edition of glam lifestyle series 53 EXTRA on all AfricaMagic Channels.

The awards night holds on 9 March.