The nomination list for the AMAA awards, 2012 edition was released by the jury some weeks ago but scrutinizing the nomination lists carefully, some unpardonable errors were committed by the jury.
Below is my review on the errors the jury committed with respect to this year’s AMAA awards 2012:
OMOTOLA JALADE – IN SUPPORTING ROLE FOR TIES THAT BIND
Omotola Jalade did not play supporting role in the movie Ties that Bind. She played lead with other characters such as Ama K. Abebrese and Kimberly Elise. Omotola Jalade won best actress in a lead role with the movie-Ties that bind (Ghana Movie Awards, 2011) so how can the same person become a supporting cast for another movie awards? There’s no logic in that. The jury should go back and watch the movie again. In fact, Omotola Jalade deserves to be in BEST ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE, not Ama K. Abebrese because in the movie-Ties that bind, the story revolved more around Omotola than Ama. K. Abebrese.
MARTHA ANKOMAH – BEST YOUNG/PROMISING ACTOR
Martha Ankomah is a female so how can you nominate her for best young/promising ACTOR? Has Martha Ankomah now turned into a MALE? In any case, nominating Martha Ankomah for young/promising actress does not make sense. Even the role she played in Somewhere in Africa does not make it appropriate for her to be nominated for a category like best young/promising actress.
RAHIM BANDA – WRONGLY SPELT AS RAHMAN BANDE
The real spelling of the name is RAHIM BANDA not RAHMAN BANDE. Names are sensitive when it comes to identity and formal issues. RAHMAN BANDE is not synonymous to RAHIM BANDA. In case the boy wins that award, it will not make sense for RAHMAN BANDE to be on the medal. The jury should check that.
BEST NIGERIAN FILM
The jury has shown plain bias by creating a nomination category called BEST NIGERIAN FILM. AMAA awards are meant to award and to celebrate films produced in all the 52 countries in Africa. Objectivity is compromised with a category like BEST NIGERIAN FILM. At the end of the day, if most of the Nigerian films and personalities sweep most of the awards, it would raise eye brows and arouse doubt in the minds of people in the other African countries with respect to fairness and candor. No such category like BEST whatever African country must be created. Even if they had created BEST GHANAIAN FILM, I would still have a problem with that. AMAA awards is for Africa. The jury should maintain that principle.
ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
All the other movies in this category have got their respective countries against them except the movie, BEHIND THE MASK. Without attaching Ghana to it, how can someone in say Angola, Sierra Leone or any other African country who might have not watched behind the mask movie know it is a Ghanaian movie? The jury should check that.
ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
All the other movies in this category have got their respective countries against them except the movies, THE CAPTAIN OF NAKARA and QUEENS DESIRE. I have never watched those two movies before and don’t know which countries they represent. The jury should check that.
PRIZE FOR BEST FILM
This particular category does not make sense. It is PRIZE FOR BEST FILM, so the expectation is what will be given (PRIZE) to the best film. Instead of the jury to have stated something like; medal, car, house, distribution deal or whatever PRIZE, the jury just listed names of films and their respective countries. How can Ties that bind-Ghana or State of Violence-South Africa be a prize? The contradiction in this category is extremely funny.
I am by this review appealing to the Ghana Representative of AMAA awards to draw the jury’s attention to the errors committed in the nomination list and subsequent corrections made before the awards proper-22nd April, 2012. Until then…..MOTWUM!!