Directors not happy with AMVCA winners, says Charles Novia

Charles Novia, a Nollywood director and producer, has criticised the African Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCA) that held on Saturday.

In an article on his blog, Novia examined the event and shared his opinion of the event.

According him, directors in the Nigerian entertainment industry were dissatisfied with some of the winners of various awards.

“Ol’Boy, this award nor too pure this year’ said a top Nollywood director to me pointedly as if he was a civil servant making a minority report. I shrugged, deciding to be silent just to hear opinions.

“How on earth could a cooking show win in a category where there were drama series? What the hell was that? asked another Nollywood producer in anger to even the winner of that category who seemed undecided on what to say.

“How can ‘small small’ kids in acting, the up-and-comers be winning the big prizes in acting every year at the AMVCAs consistently? Look am na! E nor pure!

“These guys just nominate the big names alongside the new ones and then disgrace the old and established actors by giving the awards to people we don’t even know!’ said another established producer, shaking his head in disbelief.”

According to him, the winners of the Best Actor and Best Actress were the “surprises of the night”.

Novia also described the omission of Jab Adu’s name from the AMVCA roll of honour as unforgivable.

“There was a glaring omission in the Roll of Honor list which scrolled pictures and names of the artistes departed in the past year.

“One of the veterans in the television industry in Nigeria and basically among the first five pioneers of the film industry in the seventies as a producer as well, Jab Adu, was poignantly missing in the list. That is unforgivable, if you ask me.

“The popular Bassey Okon of ‘Village Headmaster’ way back and Mr Adio in ‘Adio’s Family’ passed on a few days ago and the best the research team could have done was to add him to the roll call.

“He died a day or two after Mike Odiachi, who was in the list mercifully. May his soul rest in peace, as with the others.”

Yvonne Nelson, a Ghanian actress also made a comment which made people wonder if she was referring to the AMVCA.

“Most awards in Africa, #whotheyarecoolwithawards,” she wrote on Twitter.

Organized by MultiChoice, the award ceremony was attended by popular figures from various movie industries in Africa.