By By Muminat Ajide
In a dramatic turn of events at the 10th Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), “Breath of Life” stole the spotlight despite the historic debut of “A Tribe Called Judah,” the first Nollywood production to gross over N1 billion in cinemas, accumulating a total of 1.4 billion.
Breath of Life clinched numerous awards across six categories, including ‘Best Lead Actor,’ ‘Best Supporting Actor,’ ‘Best Supporting Actress,’ ‘Best Director,’ ‘Best Sound Design,’ and ‘Best Movie’.
Hosted by MultiChoice, the AMVCA celebrates outstanding performances in television, film, entertainment,throughout Nollywood. Held at the Eko Hotel and Suites on May 11, the event saw winners emerge from 28 categories,comprising of non-voting and audience voting categories, along with two recognition awards: the Industry Merit and Trailblazer Awards.
Among the winners was Francesca Otaigbe for ‘Best Makeup’ (Over the Bridge), Abisola Omolade for ‘Best Art Direction’ (Over The Bridge), Lola Awe for ‘Best Costume Design’ (Jagun Jagun: The Warrior), Tunde Babalola for ‘Best Writing in a Movie’ (Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti), Grey Jones Ossai for ‘Best Sound Design’ (Breath of Life and Blood Vessel), Antonio Ribeiro for ‘Best Editing’ (The Black Book), Femi Adebayo for ‘Best Indigenous Language Film’ (Jagun Jagun), Ormoilaa Ogol for ‘Best Documentary’ (The Strong One), KC Obiajulu for ‘Best Cinematography’ (Over The Bridge), Irora Iya for ‘Best Indigenous M-Net Original,’ and Isaac Ayomide Olayiwola for ‘Best Digital Content’ (Medical Negligence and Copyright Infringement).
Notable wins also included Genoveva Umeh for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ (Breath of Life), Demola Adedoyin for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ (Breath of Life), Kehinde Bankole for ‘Best Lead Actress’ (Adire), and Wale Ojo for ‘Best Lead Actor’ (Breath of Life).
Moreover, “Breath of Life” director BBemerged as the ‘Best Director’ category, while the film itself was crowned ‘Best Movie,’ cementing its place as a standout in Nollywood’s illustrious history.
Despite the lack of wins for “A Tribe Called Judah,” the film’s groundbreaking achievement in the Nigerian film industry marks a significant milestone.
