THE sleeping town of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, was alive on Friday, as movie stars from different parts of the continent stormed the territory for the Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) Nomination Party 2013. Staged at the Bingu wa Mutharika International Conference Centre, the night of glitz and glamour was graced by top government officials of Malawi led by the president, Joyce Banda and her husband Richard Banda.

Representing Nigeria are top Nollywood stars such as Kanayo O. Kanayo, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Victor Osuagwu, Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotah, Ossy Ukaeje, Paul Obazele, Mmadu Chikwendu and others.

Malawi Minister of Culture And Tourism,  Rachel Mazombwe thanked AMAA for choosing Malawi to host this year’s nomination party. She acknowledged with gratitude, the support by the Film Association of Malawi and members the ministry in making the event a successful one.

“Our artistes are undergoing training in different areas of movie making. Very soon, Africans and the world at large would know the Malawian culture through films. This is coming from a background that most Malawians know about Nigerian culture through movies. That is what we hope for as a ministry responsible for culture that one day many people in the world should know about Malawian culture through Malawian movies.”

According to Mazombwe, staging the event in Malawi has created an opportunity for visitors to see the beauty of the country and also provide a platform for the country to market its potentials.

“This award ceremony will be viewed by over 50million viewers around the world. This is a rare opportunity to sell the country as both a tourism and film destination. This is an opportune time for Malawi, the warm heart of Africa, to host such grand events when government has declared tourism a priority area. We, as a nation, need more of these events to market our beautiful land.

Film industry is one of the biggest employers and an important tool for revenue generation and tourism promotion in a country. Therefore, investment in this area will go a long way in empowering the youth and improving the socio-economic status of the country.”

In her formal statement, the CEO of AMAA Peace Anyiam Osigwe described Malawi as a country with so much potential, urging the government to see a way of tapping from the opportunities provided by AMAA, with the training of 200 youths in different aspects of filmmaking.

The CEO of AMAA also urged African leaders to see away of opening the borders to allow free movement among Africans. This, she noted, would help in uniting the continent.

Osigwe also called on corporate organisation to come to the aid of the Malawian film industry and other African countries by supporting their projects.

In her keynote address, Malawian President, Joyce Banda expressed her joy over the decision to stage the Nomination Party in her country, describing it as an opportunity to grow the local film industry.

According to Banda, development of the creative art industry is one of the major components of the Youth Job Creation Initiative by her government

Unveiling the nominees, Shaibu Husseni informed the decision of the jury not to award any movie for the Best Diaspora Short Film as the works submitted did not meet with the requirements.

The event was spiced with musical performances by Dr. Rebecca Malope from South Africa , Dan Lufani and the Kamuzu Barracks Gospel Singers, who wowed the audience with their melodious tunes and energetic dance displays.

THE sleeping town of Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, was alive on Friday, as movie stars from different parts of the continent stormed the territory for the Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) Nomination Party 2013. Staged at the Bingu wa Mutharika International Conference Centre, the night of glitz and glamour was graced by top government officials of Malawi led by the president, Joyce Banda and her husband Richard Banda.

Representing Nigeria are top Nollywood stars such as Kanayo O. Kanayo, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Victor Osuagwu, Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotah, Ossy Ukaeje, Paul Obazele, Mmadu Chikwendu and others.

Malawi Minister of Culture And Tourism,  Rachel Mazombwe thanked AMAA for choosing Malawi to host this year’s nomination party. She acknowledged with gratitude, the support by the Film Association of Malawi and members the ministry in making the event a successful one.

“Our artistes are undergoing training in different areas of movie making. Very soon, Africans and the world at large would know the Malawian culture through films. This is coming from a background that most Malawians know about Nigerian culture through movies. That is what we hope for as a ministry responsible for culture that one day many people in the world should know about Malawian culture through Malawian movies.”

According to Mazombwe, staging the event in Malawi has created an opportunity for visitors to see the beauty of the country and also provide a platform for the country to market its potentials.

“This award ceremony will be viewed by over 50million viewers around the world. This is a rare opportunity to sell the country as both a tourism and film destination. This is an opportune time for Malawi, the warm heart of Africa, to host such grand events when government has declared tourism a priority area. We, as a nation, need more of these events to market our beautiful land.

Film industry is one of the biggest employers and an important tool for revenue generation and tourism promotion in a country. Therefore, investment in this area will go a long way in empowering the youth and improving the socio-economic status of the country.”

In her formal statement, the CEO of AMAA Peace Anyiam Osigwe described Malawi as a country with so much potential, urging the government to see a way of tapping from the opportunities provided by AMAA, with the training of 200 youths in different aspects of filmmaking.

The CEO of AMAA also urged African leaders to see away of opening the borders to allow free movement among Africans. This, she noted, would help in uniting the continent.

Osigwe also called on corporate organisation to come to the aid of the Malawian film industry and other African countries by supporting their projects.

In her keynote address, Malawian President, Joyce Banda expressed her joy over the decision to stage the Nomination Party in her country, describing it as an opportunity to grow the local film industry.

According to Banda, development of the creative art industry is one of the major components of the Youth Job Creation Initiative by her government

Unveiling the nominees, Shaibu Husseni informed the decision of the jury not to award any movie for the Best Diaspora Short Film as the works submitted did not meet with the requirements.

The event was spiced with musical performances by Dr. Rebecca Malope from South Africa , Dan Lufani and the Kamuzu Barracks Gospel Singers, who wowed the audience with their melodious tunes and energetic dance displays.