Mr. Ekow Blankson with his citation and plaque
Ekow Blankson, an ace actor and Commercial Manager of Advertiser and Publisher Solutions (ADPU) Ghana Limited – Ghana’s most effective agency for marketing and publishing solutions – has been adjudged the Golden Star (male category) at the maiden edition of Great Excellence Movie Awards.
Mr. Blankson who has many years of experience in the movie industry was laureled for his contribution towards filmmaking within the year under review.
“For me, the Golden Star Award is not as important as being part of supporting the dream of the youth in our society. I was the first to enter the SNAP Cinema Auditorium. I participated all the way through its challenges and successes until it ended after 1am. My questions for successful people are, how did you start? What did you go through? How can you support our youth to take over? These were my sentiments as I sat and watched the youthful exuberance of the organisers. I was simply hoping that they will not give up amidst the challenges”, the veteran told GhanaWeb.
He expressed utmost optimism that the scheme will achieve its purpose, stressing that its success will benefit the ecosystem.
“The Ghana Excellence Movie Awards’ maiden edition was very significant because it marked the beginning of a young man and his group of young men’s dreams. I am not a prophet but an optimistic business dream seer. This event will become great one day. Looking back to the challenges Benjamin Manful faced, it will shape the course of GEMA Awards where people will look forward to being celebrated”, Mr. Blankson remarked.
“It was a blend of the celebrated, the discovered and the budding. This was resplendent to me as it sought to encourage the youth in the quest to become meaningful in society. I have seen it all. I have been nominated in many local and international award schemes. But seeing our young ones jump up in celebration of their recognition, satisfactorily made my night. Thanks Ghana Excellence Movie Awards (GEMA) for allowing me to be part of the youthful struggle…. a story to be told one day on the success stage”, he added.
The colourful ceremony, held at Snap Cinemas in Accra over the weekend, also saw other actors walk home with plagues after winning the respective categories they had been nominated in.
Speaking at the event, Kwame Agyei-Aye, the Managing Director of Great House Productions, organisers of the scheme, said his outfit and stakeholders of the industry have made deliberations on how to promote African movies. The avenues, he maintained, include rewarding deserving filmmakers and nurturing young talents.
Although there are other schemes that recognize filmmakers, Mr. Agyei-Aye established that Great Excellence Movie Awards is unique.
“We look at giving the young talents a level playing field to make a difference, make opportunities available for these young creatives, showcase actresses and actors and most importantly, nominate them alongside seasoned and celebrated ones who have also excelled under the year in review in most if not all categories”, he said.
“As a corporate organization, we deem it as our responsibility to discover and unearth new talents, foster cooperation and partnership among all creatives and industry stakeholders, honor and acknowledge the sacrifice of our legends in our industry”, Mr. Agyei-Aye added.
Below is the full list of winners:
Actor in leading role – Agya Koo
Actress in leading role – Tracey Boakye
Best Actor – Van Vicker
Best Actress – Gloria Osei-Sarfo
Best Cinematography – Enoch Fosu
Best Director – Eddie Nartey
Best Movie of the Year – Woman at War
Comic Actor of the Year – Agya Koo
Comic Actress of the Year – AJ Brown
Emerging Comic Actor – Jaybee
Female Discovery – Adombisege
Golden Star (female) – Kalsoume Sinare
Golden Star (male) – Ekow Blankson
International Actor – Frank Artus
International Actress – Roselyn Ngissah
Male Discovery – Dominic Alvin
Production House of the Year – Enacademy
Most Promising Actor – Stephen Abebreseh
Most promising Actress – Lydia Baeta
Scriptwriter/screenplay – Nnena
Best Short Movie – Eddie Nartey
Make-up Artist of the Year – Naatey Christiana
Favorite Actress – Salma Munin
Favorite Actor – Agya Koo
Actor in Supporting Role – Umar Krupp
Best Actress in Supporting Role – Anita Gyimah
Best TV Series of the Year – Instagram Police
Discovery Best Director – Joshua K.A Ofosu