Rwanda will for the first time host the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAAs) nomination gala at the Kigali Convention Centre on May 14. The theme for this year’s edition is ‘Unending African Stories’

The annual awards recognize outstanding professionals in the film industry on the African continent. Since the inception of the Awards in 2005, Rwandan filmmakers are yet to make the cut.

"Nominations in Rwanda will reveal the most outstanding African film productions in Africa,” reads part of the statement on AMAAs’ twitter timeline.

AMA Awards aim at promoting the African film industry. They also aim at developing young filmmakers through creation of channels of distribution, uniting Africa through film and establishing rural cinemas to promote African culture. Other objectives are to encourage professionalism in the movie industry and offer professional development and networking opportunities.

According to Tony Anih, one of the organizers, the nominations gala night on May 14 will be preceded by a Creative Entrepreneurs’ Workshop on May 13.

During the nomination gala night, nominees in 28 categories will be announced and Nigerian artiste KCEE and several local artistes will perform at the event.

The main awards event will be held in Lagos, Nigeria on June 18. Delegates and nominees from over 50 African countries, Europe, North America, United States and South America are expected to attend.

Last year’s edition was held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in Nigeria. Only films that were produced and released between July 2015 and December 2016 will be considered to compete in this year’s edition. Also, the jury will not consider feature films longer than 120 minutes, or short films longer than 40 minutes during the nominations. Over 400 films were submitted from 72 countries across the world for this year’s competition.

They include feature films, short films, animation and documentary films.

Considered both the most prestigious entertainment industry event of its kind in Africa as well as the biggest gathering of movie makers across the African continent, the recognition platform has evolved from a one-day live televised event to an all-year-round engagement platform for filmmakers, industry professionals and their fans.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw