What You Need to Know About the Changes in the 10th Edition of the AMVCAs

The organisers of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) today announced that nominations are now open for the tenth edition of the ceremony that recognises and celebrates the best African film talent. Movies and films publicly exhibited or broadcast between December 1, 2022 and December 31, 2023 are eligible for nominations, Africa Magic and Multichoice Nigeria said in a statement.

The entry portal opens on January 15th, 2024, and closes on February 14th, 2024. 

This year, the award categories have been reduced from 33 to 27, and the Best Actor or Best Actress in a Leading or Supporting Role winners will now be determined by a jury, deviating from the previous audience voting system.

This jury, consisting of experienced filmmakers from across the continent and led by a head juror, will determine the winners in the 16 non-voting categories, whilst the public will determine the winners in the remaining 8 audience voting categories. As always, Deloitte will audit the judging process and verify the voting results.

The 27 categories are divided into 16 non-voting and 9 audience voting categories; and 2 Recognition Awards (Lifetime Achievement and Trailblazer Awards).

The non-voting categories include Best Lead Actor and Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Director, Art Direction, Cinematography, and Costume Design. More categories include Best Writing in a Movie and TV Series, Best Movie and TV Series, Best Short Film, Best Documentary, and Best Sound Design, Editing, and Makeup.

The public can vote in categories like Best Scripted and Unscripted Africa Magic Original, Best Digital Content Creator, Best Indigenous Language (West, East, and Southern Africa), Best Multichoice Talent Factory Film, and Best Indigenous Africa Magic Original.  

Speaking on the forthcoming edition, the Head of Content and Channels West Africa, MultiChoice, Dr Busola Tejumola, said: “Over the past decade, Africa Magic has steadfastly upheld its commitment to spotlighting authentic African stories, especially those that mirror our diverse and rich cultures. As we mark the 10th anniversary of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, we embark on a bold initiative to reevaluate our award categories to further align with global trends and benchmarks. It would involve retiring specific categories, streamlining others, and revisiting the voting and non-voting classifications”.

“The AMVCAs remains committed to celebrating the incredible talent in the African film and television industry, the amazing people who do the work in front and behind the cameras and you, our viewers who continue to support the hard work of the television and film industry. Thank you for being an integral part of the AMVCA journey,” Tejumola added.

To enter the awards, all filmmakers must prepare the movie for consideration with online submission. Visit  https://www.africamagic.tv/AMVCA for submissions and more details.