Shemu Joyah and Chavula
* Two Malawians have ever won the AMVCAs — Joyce Mhango Chavula in 2016 and Charles Shemu Joyah in 2018
* Chavula as the Best Southern Movie with her film ‘Lilongwe’
* Shemu Joyah in same category with his extraordinary movie ‘Road to Sunrise’ in 2018
By Duncan Mlanjira
MultiChoice Malawi has encouraged the country’s emerging filmmakers to try their luck by submitting entries to be considered for the 8th edition of Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs).
Submission for entries of the AMVCA, which is organised by Africa Magic in association with MultiChoice Africa opened on December 3 and closes on Friday, January 14, 2022.
Two Malawians have ever won the AMVCAs — Joyce Mhango Chavula being the first in 2016 as the Best Southern Movie with her film ‘Lilongwe’.
Charles Shemu Joyah won the same category with his extraordinary movie ‘Road to Sunrise’ in 2018.
MultiChoice Malawi Managing Director, Gus Banda says joining the race for the AMVCAs puts Malawian movie production on the map, saying a nomination alone for the final consideration is a huge plus.
“I, therefore, encourage Malawians to grab this chance wholeheartedly because, whose knows, they might join Joyce Mhango Chavula and Shemu Joyah in Africa Magic’s hall of fame,” he said.
For more information, filmmakers are encouraged to visit www.africamagic.tv/AMVCA and follow all official handles of Africa Magic on Facebook and Instagram.
A statement from African Magic and MultiChoice Africa says films, made-for-television movies or television series previously entered or nominated for an award, or awarded a prize in another film and television competition are eligible to enter for the AMVCAs.
In addition, all films, made-for-television movies or television series are eligible for entry to the AMVCA if they were broadcast, publicly screened or exhibited from December 1, 2019 to November 30, 2021.
Hailed as the premium awards for filmmakers in Africa, the AMVCAs has recognized and celebrated outstanding achievements in the African film and TV industry both in front and behind the cameras.
The statement further says following the seventh edition in 2020, plans for the next instalment were put on hold due to the CoVID-19 pandemic and the attendant concerns on the health and safety of all stakeholders.
This 8th edition, sponsored by Amstel Malta, will now take place in Lagos, Nigeria in 2022.
MultiChoice Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, John Ugbe is quoted as saying: “Last year was indeed a tough one for the world with the global pandemic. However, the industry continues to thrive against all odds.
“We are proud of the improvements seen across different fields in the industry since the inception of the awards in 2013. The 8th edition of the AMVCAs once again demonstrates our commitment to spotlight the immense talent we have in the African film and TV industry and promises to leave a much bigger impact than previous editions.”
Organizers have introduced a new category for the 8th edition — Best Online Social Content Creator — “in recognition and acceptance of the growing popularity and quality of social media content across the continent”.
Dr. Busola Tejumola, Executive Head, content and West Africa channels at MultiChoice Nigeria is quoted as saying the 8th edition will also see the return of the Best Africa Magic Original Drama Series, Best Africa Magic Original Comedy Series as well as the Best Dressed Male and Female, which will be voted for on the night of the event.
“We are very excited about the Best Online Social Content Creator category as we believe this will further underscore our commitment to represent all content creators and inspire new talent,” Tejumola said
“There is no better time than now to recognize and celebrate this growing digital community as we stage the eight edition of the awards.”
Entry guidelines include:
• Preparing a 5-minute-long show reel for online submission
• Loging on to the Africa Magic website. Click on the AMVCA eighth edition banner that will take one to a submissions page
• Filling out the submission forms and uploading the clip. A unique reference number will be allocated to each completed online submission
Submitters are encouraged to ensure their video edit represents the category of entry and is under 300MB and to visit website at www.africamagic.tv/AMVCA for digital file delivery mechanism, entry guidelines & additional information.
MultiChoice Africa trains talented filmmakers through the MultiChoice Talent Factory — a 12-month academic programme which is open for Malawians.
Two, Asante Mbaimbai and Chisomo Kawaga, are amongst the 60 new students that form the third cohort programme that started in October set to join four others — Mphatso Makamo, Chisomo Livason, Chimwemwe Mkwezalamba and Jonathan Kapumba — who graduated in previous cohorts.
Now in its third year, the MultiChoice Talent Factory has honed the skills of 120 emerging filmmakers in 13 countries across the continent, who are now part of the growing MTF alumni network, taking African stories to the world.
Several alumni are working in 7 countries with M-Net and Showmax productions — “helping to realise the vision of taking African stories to the world with a ‘hyperlocal’ approach, producing relevant content within the respective regions of our continent, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all strategy” as previously said by Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice’s CEO for general entertainment & connected video.