It was a night when Nigerian films and filmmakers shone like a thousand stars. On the night, filmmaker Moses Iwang carted home the Golden jury award, just as his compatriots, Ifa Iwara and Nse Ikpe Etim, picked the Outstanding male and Outstanding female actors awards, to complete an almost all Nigerian clean sweep.
The event, was the just concluded 18th edition of the Abuja International Film Festival with the theme: See Beyond – Film Industry under the new normal.
The Film Festival which is the longest running film festival in Anglophone West Africa and founded by filmmaker cum media tycoon, Fidelis Duker, was returning in the physical form, after the 2020 edition that was held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the Festival Communication Officer Fidelia Duker, “As the world unite together to fight the global pandemic that prevented physical gathering last year, it is important we begin to see films as a tool to air our own opinions; make judgments and become part of the story-telling traditions passed down to us through generations now enhanced and embellished with the aid of ever-captivating and improving technology.”
Festival Director, Mrs. Temitope Duker who spoke with Journalists on the sidelines of the award ceremony which held on Thursday at Silverbird Cinemas, stated that 115 films were screened during the 5 days film festival. Similarly, a total of 15 Films and Filmmakers carted home the awards on the night.
Mrs. Duker also disclosed that the 2022 edition of the film festival is scheduled to run from 31st October to 4th November 2022 in Abuja.
The event played host to top movie actors and producers including Segun Arinze, Lancelot Imaseun, Papel Paul, Bond Emeruwa, Association of Movie Producers Nigeria President Peace Anyiam Osigwe, Aljazeera News Editor Fidelis Mba, Special Assistant New Media to the Vice President Philip Obin, Founder Kaduna International Film Festival Isreal Audu, Executive Secretary Lagos State Censors Board Bukola Adaminoju, Officials of Nigerian Film Corporation, Natonal Film and Video Censors Board amongst several dignitaries.
Winners of the 18th AIFF at a glance:
*Efere Ozako Outstanding Experimental Film
Winner ‘Boy meets Girl’ Nigeria
*Outstanding short film (Nigeria)
Winner Peter Fada ‘Soja’
*Outstanding feature film (Foreign)
Winner Mucho Wang, Fangmin Wang _China ‘Love Laboratory’
*Outstanding feature film (Nigeria)
Winner Papel Paul Papel ‘Eagles Wings’
*Outstanding short film (Foreign)
Ralph Isenberg-United States ‘Four Motherless Children’
*Outstanding male actor
Winner Ifa Iwara-Nigeria ‘Lockdown Heat’
*Outstanding female actor
Winner Nse Ikpe Etim-Nigeria ‘The Wait”
*Outstanding films music score
Winner ‘Tara’s Diary’ Nigeria
*Outstanding film directing
Winner ‘Eagle Wings’ Papel Paul Apel Nigeria
*First time directing
Winner ‘Balokun’ Olamide Wale Akimolayan-Nigeria
*Outstanding documentary film
Winner ‘Golden Fish, African Fish’ Senegal Thomas Grand Moussa Diop
*Outstanding student film
Winner ‘Home’ China
*Festival mention for narrative
Winner ‘Love Castle’ Beatrice Ogunmola
*Outstanding Animation
Winner ‘Free to fly’ Nigeria
*Audience choice award
Winner ‘Eagle Wings’ Nigeria
*Golden jury award
Winner ‘Lockdown’ Moses Inwang Nigeria
