The 1st Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards ceremony was sponsored by Amstel Malta and the awards were presented by MultiChoice. It took place on 9 March 2013 at the Exhibition Center, Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos, Nigeria. The awards honour excellence in television, film, and digital content creation in the African entertainment industry. The awards ceremony was televised by DStv and GOtv. Vimbai Mutinhiri and IK Osakioduwa hosted the show.
Otelo Burning had 14 nominations, closely followed by The Mirror Boy with 11, and Man on Ground with 10. Otelo Burning won four awards including Best Picture. Other notable winners included OC Ukeje, who won Best Actor in a Drama for his role in Two Brides and a Baby, and Jackie Appiah, who won Best Actress in a Drama for her performance in Perfect Picture. Afeez Oyetoro and Mercy Johnson were awarded Best Actor and Actress in a Comedy for House Apart and Dumebi the Dirty Girl, respectively. The awards ceremony also honoured Ivie Okujaye with the Trailblazer Award and Olu Jacobs with the Industry Merit Award.
Background On 20 September 2012, Africa Magic and MultiChoice announced their creation of the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards during the special episode of the Africa Magic magazine show Jara. The awards recognised African films, actors and actresses, and consisted of 26 categories and two honours for different roles in acting, directing, scriptwriting, cinematography, editing, makeup, sound, lighting and costuming.
Among the 26 categories, six depended on votes of the viewers while others were selected by the panel of judges led by Femi Odugbemi. Other members of the judging panel included Allison Triegaardt, Armand-Guy de Beer, Bongiwe Selane, Deborah Odutayo, Ebou Waggeh, Eileen Sandrock, Njoki Muhoho, Phad Mutumba and Richard West.
Ceremony The awards ceremony was held on 9 March 2013 at the Exhibition Center, Eko Hotels and Suites located in Lagos. The awards ceremony was broadcast on television by DStv and GOtv, and was hosted by Zimbabwean media personality Vimbai Mutinhiri and Big Brother Africa presenter IK Osakioduwa.
Films were submitted by producers without fee. The submission ended on 31 October 2012 at 9pm CAT. The nominees were announced in early December 2012 during a special edition of M-Nets lifestyle TV program, 53 Extra. The highest nominated works included: Otelo Burning (14), The Mirror Boy (11), and Man on Ground (10). Other multiple nominated titles included Perfect Picture (8), Two Brides and a Baby (7), Maami (5), and Skeem (5). According to Nigerian newspaper Premium Times, the 110 nominees were chosen from 43 different film producers from Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, and Uganda.
Sara Blecher's Otelo Burning won four awards including Best Picture, Best Art Director, Best Make-up Artist and Best Lighting Designer. Akin Omotoso's Man On Ground also won four awards including Best Movie Director, Best Cinematographer (for Paul Michelson), Best Picture Editor (for Aryan Kaganof) and Best Sound Editor (for Michael Botha and Joel Assaizky); Obi Emelonye's The Mirror Boy won three awards including Best Movie Drama, Best Writer Drama and Best Costume Designer (for Ngozi Obazi); South African director Tim Greene's Skeem won two awards: Best Movie Comedy and Best Writer Comedy. The organisers didn't name nominees for two categories: Best Documentary and Best Online Video; according to the organisers, the selection team preferred to present it as certificates of encouragement to all entrants. The awards ceremony was sponsored by Amstel Malta and the awards were presented by MultiChoice.
Winners and nominees
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface and are indicated by .
+ OC UkejeTwo Brides and a Baby Fabian Adeoye LojedeJacob's Cross Kenneth UphophoDown & Out Edward KagutuziThe Mirror Boy Jafta MamaboloOtelo Burning Jackie AppiahThe Perfect Picture Bubu MazibukoMan on Ground Genevieve NnajiThe Mirror Boy Nolwazi ShangeOtelo Burning Funke AkindeleMaami Afeez OyetoroHouse a Part Kunle BamtefaGlorious Journey BoviThe Bovi Ugboma Show Francis Odega–Clinic Matters Ikhide IsaacWanna Be Mercy JohnsonDumebi the Dirty Girl Funke AkindeleThe Return of Jenifa Lilian EsoroClinic Matters Mathew NabwisoA Good Catholic Girl Fabian Adeoye LojedeMan on Ground Osita IhemeThe Mirror Boy Thomas GumedeOtelo Burning Kalu IkeagwuTwo Brides and a Baby Maureen KoechLies that Bind Thishiwe ZiqubuMan on Ground Harriet ManamelaOtelo Burning Regina ChukwuAkun Taiwo AtigogoOld Cargo Young Blood Tim GreeneSkeem Shirley Frimpong-MansoPerfect Picture Paul IgweClinic Matters BoviThe Bovi Ugboma Show Teru EkuerhaleWanna Be Obi Emelonye / Amaka Obi-EmelonyeThe Mirror Boy James Whyle / Sara Blecher / The Cast WorkshopOtelo Burning Blessing EgbeTwo Brides and a Baby Shirley Frimpong-MansoA Sting in a Tale Shirley Frimpong-MansoPerfect Picture Michael Botha / Joel AssaizkyMan on Ground Juli vanden Berg / Tiago Correia-PauloOtelo Burning Obi EmelonyeThe Mirror Boy Elorm AdablahPerfect Picture Elorm AdablahA Sting in a Tale Dave HoweOtelo Burning Eleazu TexasTwo Brides and a Baby Oluwole OlawoyinMaami Terry EmmanuelDown and Out Ken AttohPerfect Picture Anita van Hemert / Chantel CarterOtelo Burning Bola BeloMaami Carol MbuguaLies that Bind Bernard H. MulengaKawanu Blessing Effiom EgbeTwo Brides and a Baby Aryan KaganofMan on Ground Megan GilliOtelo Burning Shola AyorindeTwo Brides and a Baby Reg Chuhi / Kevin IreriLies that Bind Kayode AfolabiClinic Matters Otelo Burning Skeem Man on Ground Jozi King The Mirror Boy Obi EmelonyeThe Mirror Boy Tim GreeneSkeem Akin OmotosoMan on Ground Sara BlecherOtelo Burning Shirley Frimpong-MansoPerfect Picture Skeem Wisdom of Thomas Collins Phone Swap The Return of Jenifa Open Fire 2 Man on Ground The Mirror Boy Otelo Burning Adams Apple A Sting in a Tale Maami Akun Gbajumo Faida Nura Asirka Yunkuri The Ray of Hope Sakalakata Zenabu The XYZ Show Peep Jozi Moving the City DemiGods Makutano Junction Paul MichelsonMan on Ground Clive NormanThe Mirror Boy Tom MaraisSkeem Lance GewerOtelo Burning Sarafa AbagunMaami Jacqui BannermenOtelo Burning Gabriel OkorieThe Mirror Boy Biola PoopolaTales of Eve Jayne Awoonor-WilliamsPerfect Picture Christin NgomaKawanu Ngozi ObasiThe Mirror Boy Frank Awoonor-WilliamsPerfect Picture Frank Osodi RichardTwo Brides and a Baby Preston MwilaKawanu Nkiru NwauzorSpider Aryan KaganofMan on Ground Meghan GilliOtelo Burning Shola AyorindeTwo Brides and a Baby Reg Chuhi / Kevin IreriLies that Bind Kayode AfolabiClinic Matters Ivie Okujaye Olu Jacobs
References