That the 17th Abuja International Film Festival has come and gone, is no longer news. What is leading the discuss right now, is how Nollywood films dusted others from 74 countries to win nine(9) of the 17 awards at stake at the just concluded film festival.
The night saw Dimbo Atiya’s film, ‘Drawing Strength’ picking five(5) awards of the night. ‘Drawing Strength’ won in ‘Outstanding Nigerian film’ as well as ‘Outstanding Actor’ categories. The film also picked the prize for ‘Outstanding Actress’, ‘Outstanding Directing’ and ‘Golden Jury Prize’ categories.
Other winners of the night include Utomi Paul’s short film, ‘Dark’. Segun Olusola’s Outstanding Documentary film category, was jointly awarded to ‘Mother Nature Manifestation’ from Kenya and ‘Women Hold Up the Sky Africa’ from South Africa, among others.
Festival Director and Filmmaker, Mrs. Temitope Duker, in her address at the virtual closing ceremony that attracted over 100 filmmakers, journalists and film enthusiasts in her opening speech, said this year’s festival is remarkable and will go down in history as the year many festivals shifted from physical film festivals to virtual. She revealed that the development has come with interesting experiences and attendant challenges.
Mrs. Duker informed the gathering that while over 600 entries were received, 92 were selected for screening with 42 nominated for possible awards. She also stated that the 92 different Films in different genres were screened virtually over 5 days from 9th to 13th November, 2020.
Mrs. Duker said the special moments came with screening of the films submitted with theme or sub-theme on the COVID-19 global pandemic that is still ravaging the world till date. Some of the films include; ‘The Invitation’ from Turkey, ‘China War Epidemic’, from China (which centered on how China was able to contain the pandemic).
Nigeria was not left out as it recorded three entries on the COVID-19 theme. These included, ‘Social Comments’, ‘Lockdown’ and ‘Atunmarilaka’. Ukraine completed the COVID-19 entries with ‘Enter Through The Balcony’.
The year also had an ambitious young female filmmaker Devine Jim George who is in her teens at just 16 submitting her film which was selected and nominated.
The Festival Director, also informed that Films shot on phone were not left out as there were a couple submitted. Of special mention by the festival, she said, was the film, ‘LYT’.
Founder of the Festival, Fidelis Duker in his remarks, commended all the filmmakers from 74 countries for submitting their films while also congratulating all nominees and winners.
This year, all nominees will receive certificates of nomination which will be dispatched to them.
Below is the List of Winners
- Outstanding Experimental Film
• SOCIAL COMMENT – NIGERIA
• CALL ME NEGHUIHO – CAPE VERDE - Outstanding Short Film (NIGERIA)
• DARK – MOSES IPADEOLA - Outstanding Short Film (FOREIGN)
• DEFINE DELPHINE – BRAZIL - Outstanding Feature Film (NIGERIA)
- DRAWING STRENGHT – DIMBO ATIYA
- MUDDLED – BEST OKODUWA
- Outstanding Feature Film (FOREIGN)
- MAD HOUSE – GHANA
- Outstanding Documentary Film
• WOMEN HOLD UP THE SKY AFRICAN – SOUTH AFRICA
• MOTHER NATURE MANIFESTATION – KENYA - Outstanding Student Film
• THE HONORABLE – NIGERIA - Outstanding Male Actor
• CHRIS OKAGBUE – DRAWING STRENGTH – NIGERIA
• GODDIZ FONGWA – SAVING MBANGO – CAMEROON - Outstanding Female Actress
• SOPHIE ALAKIJA – DRAWING STRENGTH – NIGERIA - Outstanding Film in Directing
• DIMBO ATIYA – DRAWING STRENGHT –NIGERIA - Outstanding Film in Music Score
• THE DEVOTED – HUNGARY - Virtual Audience Choice Award
• LAST REQUEST – NIGERIA - Festival Mention Prize for Narrative
• THE KING WITH NO CULTURE – GHANA - AIFF Golden Jury Prize
• DRAWING STRENGHT – NIGERIA
