2013 Africa Movie Academy Awards – winners

Last night, the Africa Film Academy hosted their ceremony for the 9th Annual African Movie Academy Awards in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State in Nigeria. The ceremony was hosted by Comedian Ayo Makun and British-Ghanian actress Ama K. Abebrese.

WIth the home-field advantage, Nigerian films led the night. Kenneth Gyang's Confusion Na Wa won Best Film in addition to Best Nigerian Film. Niji Akanni's Heroes And Zeros won for Best Director, as well as for Editing and Screenplay. The late Nigerian actor Justus Esiri won Best Actor for Assassins Practice.

The winner for Best Documentary was Nigeria's Fuelling Poverty by Ishaya Bako, a film about a strike to protest government gasoline subsidies to corporations and the wealthy. The film had been banned by the Nigerian government and declared a national threat that was “highly provocative and likely to incite or encourage public disorder and undermine national security”.

South African Film and Television Awards 2013 – winners

The National Film and Video Foundation held their ceremonies for the 7th annual South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) or Golden Horn Awards on Friday and Saturday night in Midrand’s Gallagher Estate. The event was hosted by Nik Rabinowitz and Connie Ferguson.

The top SAFTA winner was Material by Craig Freimond. The comedy about a young Muslim man who wants to become a stand-up comedian against his father's wishes won five awards, for Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Riaad Moosa), Best Supporting Actor (Vincent Ebrahim) and Best Sound.

Die Wonderwerker (The Miracle Worker) by Katinka Heyns had led with ten nominations. It won two awards, for Best Writing Team of a Feature Film and Best Editor.

African Movie Academy Awards 2013 – nominations

Last night in Lilongwe, Malawi, the African Movie Academy announced the full list of nominations for the 9th Annual African Movie Academy Awards.

Leading with 11 nominations was the South African film Elelwani by Ntshavheni Wa Luruli. The story is about an educated young woman whose return home to her rural family results in her being caught between traditional Venda culture and modern society. Its nominations included Best Film, Best Film in an African Language, Best Director and Best Actress (Florence Masebe).

Next with nine nominations was Kenya's Nairobi Half Life by David Kitounga. It also receive nominations for Best Film, Best Film in an African Language and Best Director, as well as acting mentions for Best Supporting Actor (Olwenya Maina) and Most Promising Actor (Joseph Wairimu).

2013 Rwanda Movie Awards – winners

The inaugural Rwanda Movie Awards took place in the Banquet Hall at Kigali Serena Hotel in a ceremony hosted by Radio Rwanda presenter Tidjara Kabendera. Winners were selected by jury, except for some popular awards selected by online voting. The ceremony was a lengthy affair, lasting three-and-a-half hours even though only 10 awards were presented.

The winner for Best Film Documentary was The Impact of a Cow Given to the People of Rwanda by Ishmael Ntihabose. Ntihabose was the executive producer and co-writer of the Sundance award-winning film Kinyarwanda.

The Best Short Film was Kivuto while the People's Choice for Best Movie was Ibanga.

The inaugural Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards – winners

The Africa Magic network held the first ever Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards this weekend over two nights in Lagos, Nigeria. The events were hosted by IK Osakioduwa and Wimbai Mutinhiri.

The South African film Otelo Burning by Sara Blecher was the night's top film winning four awards including Best Movie (Overall). It also won three craft awards for Best Art Director, Best Make-up Artist and Best Lighting Designer.

Also capturing four awards was another South African film, Man on Ground by Nigerian director/actor Akin Omotoso. It won Best Director, as well as Best Cinematographer, Picture Editor and Sound Editor.

South African Film and Television Awards 2013 – nominations

The National Film and Video Foundation announced the nominees for the 7th annual South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA) tonight at an official announcement event at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg.

Die Wonderwerker (The Miracle Worker) by Katinka Heyns led the field with ten nominations. Its mentions included Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Dawid Minnaar), Best Actress (Elize Cawood) and Best Writing. The film is about an encounter between Afrikaans poet and naturalist who suffers from malaria, and while recovering with a family on their farm he falls in love with the farmer's daughter.

Material by Craig Freimond followed closely with nine nominations, including Best Feature Film, Best Director and Best Actor (Riaad Moosa). Semi-Soet by Joshua Rous was next with eight nominations and Otelo Burning by Sara Blecher. Both were also nominated for Best Feature Film, but missed on Best Director.

Ghana Movie Awards 2012 – winners

The 3rd Annual Ghana Movie Awards ceremony took place the Accra International Conference Centre.

Leading the pack was Single & Married by Pascal Amanfo. It won five awards including the main trophies for Best Picture and Best Directing – English Language. It also won for Supporting Actress – English Language (Anita Eskine), Cinematography and Music.

Desmond Elliot's In The Cupboard picked up two major awards. It won for Best Picture – African Collaboration and Best Adapted or Original Screenplay.

Van Vicker won two awards by himself, both for Joni Waka. He was declared Best Actor – English Language and claimed the prize for Best Directing – Local Language.

African-American Film Critics Association Awards 2012 – winners

The African-American Film Critics' Association has revealed its winners for their year-end awards. As is usual, many of the winners are African-American or from African-American friendly movies.

However, the winner of the top award Best Picture was Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty, the drama about the hunt for Osama bin Laden. It was the film's only award.

The biggest haul went to African-American filmmaker Ava DuVernay's Middle of Nowhere, taking four prizes. It won for Best Actress, Screenplay, Independent Film and Music. It was #4 on their Top 10 list.

Ben Affleck was named Best Director for Argo. Denzel Washington took Best Actor for Flight, while Best Supporting Actor and Actress went to Nate Parker for Arbitrage and Sally Field for Lincoln respectively.

2012 Kalasha Film/TV Awards (Kenya) – winners

The Kenya Film Commission hosted the fourth annual Kalasha Film and Television Awards ceremony on Saturday evening at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre.

The film Nairobi Half Life by Tosh Gitonga dominated the night with five wins, including the top prizes of Best Feature Film and Best Director. It also won for Best Actor (Joseph Wairimu), Screenplay and Cinematography. Nairobi Half Life is Kenya's first ever submission to the Academy for consideration as Best Foreign Language Film.

It won the Best Feature Film category against competition from Lost In Africa, Shattered and Senior Pastor. The only award claimed by those three was a Best Actress win for Rita Dominic in Shattered.

Arab World Film Festival Of Montreal 2012, Nov 2-4

This weekend brings the Arab World Film Festival Of Montreal, the cinema portion of Le Festival du Monde Arabe de Montréal (Arab World Festival of Montreal).

The opening film will be the Moroccan film Andalousie mon amour (Andalusia, My Love!) by Mohammed Nadif.

The festival continues with screenings of Sur La Planche (On the Edge) by Leila Kilani; Cairo 678 by Mohammed Diab; and a double-bill of It's All In Lebanon by Wissam Charaf followed by Hady Zaccak's Marcedes.

Toronto African Film & Music Festival 2012, Oct 19-21

Tonight, the Toronto African Film & Music Festival 2012 gets underway with an opening party at Lucy Restaurant on the Danforth which will feature live music.

The films screening at the festival will be Real VooDoo by Sandra Whiteley, Laan by Lula Ali Ismail, Beyond the Secret part 1 and Beyond the Secret part 2 by Ejike Chinedu Obim and Elimina by Emmanuel Apea Jr. Screenings take place at The Projection Booth, 1035 Gerrard St. East.

2012 Toronto Crē’ōl Film Fest, Oct 5-7

Tonight, the second edition of the Toronto Crē’ōl Film Fest kicks off with a screening of Toussaint Louverture, about the leader of the Haitian Revolution who successfully led a rebellion slaves to create a society of free, self-governing people.

The closing film will be Donoma about a female teacher who begins an ambiguous relationship with a student, an agnostic teenager is "called" by God.

The Toronto Crē’ōl Film Fest (CFF) is dedicated to celebrating Creole culture from around the world through the art of cinema. In promoting theatrical displays of work that pertain to Creole culture, CFF aims to increase opportunities for the Canadian public to share in works to which they may not otherwise have access.

2012 Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards (GIAMA) – nominees

Nominees have been announced for the Inaugural edition of the Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards (GIAMA). Nominated films include South Africa’s Man on Ground, Nigerian Films Unge’s War, I’ll take my Chances, Two Brides and A Baby, Ghanaian Films Sinking Sands, Somewhere in Africa, The Groom’s Bride, Hands of Time, Deadly Affair, and Sierra Leone’s Enemy of the Family.

Only films that were produced and/or released between January 2011 and June 2012 were considered eligible for review and nomination.

The winners for the 1st Annual Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards will be presented at a ceremony on October 20, 2012, in Houston, TX and will be hosted by Nollywood Untamed Actor Jim Iyke.

Nollywood & African Film Critics’ Awards 2012 – nominees

Nominees have now been announced for the 2nd annual Nollywood & African Film Critics’ Awards (NAFCAs).

Kathryn Fasegha's Treacherous Heart led the field with eighteen nominations. Nine went to Fasegha herself including Best Film, Drama, Screenplay and Director. The film is about a young girl Ngozi who is sent to Canada to live with her mother's best friend, but then at the age of 26 her parents arrange a marriage for her.

Next with eleven nominations was Lonzo Nzekwe's Anchor Baby, including Best Film. The other nominees for Best Film were Joe Obed's The Professor, Uche Jombo's Damaged and GuGu E. Michael's Unge's War.

2012 Nollywood Movies Awards (NMAs) – winners

The inaugural Nollywood Movies Awards (NMAs) 2012 took place tonight at the Civic Centre in Lagos, Nigeria. The ceremony was hosted by comedian Julius D'Genius Agwu and actress Kate Henshaw.

Mahmood Ali-Balogun's romantic drama Tango With Me led the field with six wins including the top prize for Best Movie. It also won for Best Actor (Joseph Benjamin), Directing, Cinematography and Sound Editing, while lead actress Genevieve Nnaji was given the Viewer's Choice Award – Female. Tango With Me had led with ten nominations.

Next with three awards was Obi Emelonye's Mirror Boy. It won for Editing, Costume Design and Make-Up.

2012 Vues d’Afrique, Apr 27–May 6

The 28th edition of Vues d’Afrique gets underway tonight in Montreal with an opening night screening of Lucien Jean-Baptiste and Philippe Larue’s comedy 30 degrés couleur. It takes place at the Cinéma Impérial, 1430, rue de Bleury.

The closing night film will be Leïla Kilani's Sur la planche (On the Edge). It played at the Cannes's Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Directors's Fortnight) in 2011.

Other films playing at this year's festival include Narjiss Nejjar's L'amante du rif, Christine François' Le secret de l'enfant fourmi, Rumbi Katedza's Jeux de guerrières, Nathalie Borgers' Bons baisers de la colonie, Audrey Gallet and Alice Odiot's Zambie: à qui profite le cuivre, Elinor Burkett and Errol Webber's Ithemba, l'espoir, Hanne Phylpo and Catherine Vuylsteke's Silent Stories, Fatima Sissani's La langue de Zahra, and Nadia El Fani's Laïcité Inch'allah.

2012 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) – winners [UPDATED]

Tonight, the 2012 Africa Movie Academy Awards ceremony took place at the Expo Hall of the Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos. It was hosted by Heroes star Jimmy Jean-Louis and Nigerian actor O.C. Ukeje. Music performers included Yinka Davies, Asa and 2Face.

The big winner of the night was Charlie Vundla's How To Steal 2 Million with four awards. It picked won for Best Film, Best Director, Supporting Actress (Terry Phetto) and Editing.

Adesuwa by Lancelot Oduwa Imaseun came away with three prizes in the categories of Best Costume Design, Visual Effects and Nigerian Film.

Sara Bletcher's Otelo Burning picked up two awards. It won for Cinematography and Best Child Actor (Tsepang Mohlomi). It had led with thirteen nominations.

2012 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) – nominations

On Saturday night, the nominees were announced for the 7th Annual Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in Banjul, the capital of Gambia.

Sara Bletcher's Otelo Burning led the field with thirteen nominations. In addition to Best Film, its nominations included Best Director, Actor (Jafta Mamabolo), Young/Promising Actor (Thomas Gumede and Sihle Xaba), Child Actor (Tsepang Mohlomi) and Film in an African Language.

Next with eleven nominations was Charlie Vundla's How To Steal 2 Million, followed by Lancelot Oduwa Imaseun's Adesuwa with ten. They were both nominated for Best Film and Best Director, as were the other major contenders Ties That Bind by Leila Djansi, Rugged Priest by Bob Nyanja, State Of Violence by Khalo Matabane, and Man On Ground by Akin Omotoso.

2012 South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) - winners

The National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa (NFVF) presented the 6th Annual South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs, also known as the Golden Horns) over the last two nights at Gallagher Estate in Midrand. Friday saw the presentation of the non-fiction categories and Saturday featured the fiction winners.

The film Black Butterflies led the film side with six wins including Best Feature Film which came with a prize of R50 000. The Dutch/German/South African co-production about the poet Ingrid Jonker also won for Cinematography, Production Design, Music, Costume Design and Make-Up/Hair. It had led the field with nine nominations.

Unfortunately, its star Carice van Houten was not eligible for Best Actress because she is Dutch and not South African. As there were only one other actress submitted for consideration, the NFVF chose not to have a Best Actress category this year. They wrote, "This is a far from desirable situation, and the panel urge writers and production companies to bear in mind that as an industry we need be telling more stories that provide a platform for the luminous female thespian talent our country has to offer."

2012 South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) - nominations

The National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa (NFVF) announced the nominees for the 6th Annual South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs, also known as the Golden Horns) at a private function that took place at The Venue in Melrose Arch, Joburg.

The film Black Butterflies about South African poet Ingrid Jonker led the field with nine nominations. It's mentions included Best Feature Film and Writing Team.

The two other Best Feature Film nominees were Skoonheid and Roepman which followed with six nominations. Retribution also picked up six nominations but missed the Best Feature Film category.

Steven Silver's Canadian-South African co-production The Bang Bang Club picked up five nominations. It was nominated for Best Cinematographer, Editor, Music, Makeup/Hair and Sound Design.