Talents Care, Media and Films Limited and Rwanda Comedy Club will soon start awarding the best dancers, actors and poets who have performed well during the year 2020.

In its first edition, the Ingaji Performing Arts and Comedy Awards will recognise the best performing comedians in the Rwandan film industry, as well as the best theatre players on stage, radio or drama.  The awards will also recognize the annual poets that have made headlines, traditional dancers as well as contemporary dancers.

Speaking to The New Times, Isaie Kalinda, the head of Talents Care, Media and films limited said that this event will be bigger and better and will showcase the power of our acting and comedy industries.

"This contest aims at promoting the Rwandan movie industry including theatres and other forms of acting. We are doing this to conduct more outreach and expose our local films to a bigger number of people,”, he commented.

He explained that the awarding ceremony will be held virtually following the suspension of events.

"The final announcements on when and how the awarding ceremony will take place shall be made public on Saturday, December 19, but we are making sure the work done by our film actors is known and famous through an outreach programme we are conducting”, he added.

Karinda also explained that the cash prize is still uncertain because the votes are casted using Mobile Money and that the process is still ongoing. He added that after the winners are awarded, they will be part of a project that will help them create more films, and help them grow their fan base.

He also added that the winners will get a free production of those movies.

Although Isaie Karinda did not want to disclose the leading contestants, The New Times has learnt that Dismas Mukeshabatware, a legendary theatre icon, Niyitegeka Gratien a comedian and Mimy Marthe, a.k.a, Maribori are the leading with internet votes.

However, the winner will be announced after the judges’ votes.

The categories that which will all depend on the internet votes and the panel’s decision.

The categories that have more than 140 contestants, include the best female actors, Best Theatre Player, the Best Comedy Male Actor, and Best Comedy Female Actress. Best Poetry Male Actor, Best Poetry Female Actor, and Best Modern Dance Female.

The awards are organised in partnership with Rwanda Performing Arts Federation (RPAF), Rwanda Comedy Club (RCC), Rwanda Poetry Union (RPU) and Rwanda Theatre Union (RTDU).