AMVCA’s Undeniable Role in Building Actors’ Profiles Across The Continent

In 2014, Tope Tedela won the Best Actor In A Drama at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award for ‘A Mile From Home’. A relatively unknown budding actor at the time, the award pushed him to the forefront of acting and movie production and kickstarted a solid career for him in Nollywood.

If the graduate of Mass Communications from the University of Lagos was initially considering a career in the news media, after winning the awards, he went full on with his passion for film.

In an interview shortly after winning the award, Tedela confirmed that his life has changed for the better since he was recognised as the best actor in a drama: “It has been a wonderful experience. And it has exposed me to a lot of people and more opportunities. I will say, my career has taken a turn for the better since I was awarded Best Actor in a drama, at the prestigious award,” he said.

In 2022, eight years after his first nomination and winning, Tedela was nominated for another  AMVCA Best Supporting Actor award for the movie, ‘Country Hard’.

In between his first AMVCA win and his latest nomination, Tedela has no doubt grown, appearing in several movies and amazing nominations and wins in recognition of his outstanding performances. The AMVCA was the springboard that he needed to be recognised for his craft.

The impact of the AMVCA on the career of actors and filmmakers is highly significant. Since its inception in 2013, the award has recognised excellence in television and film. Entries produced in the previous year are eligible for the following year’s award.

The importance of the AMVCA award has continued to rise, as actors and filmmakers across the continent celebrate their nominations and wins. Being nominated and ultimately winning almost certainly propels actors to stardom, It is no surprise that it has continued to be popular and one of the most sought-after awards on the continent.

When Adesua-Etomi won the 2016 AMVCA award for Best Actress award for her performance in the movie, ‘Falling’, it was a significant turn in her acting career. Although she had been in the industry for a while, the AMVCAs was a significant recognition of her talent. She won ahead of Genevieve Nnaji, Nse Ikpe-Etim and Belinda Effah who were all nominated for the same category. Since she won the award, her profile in the industry has grown, and she has gone on to appear in high-grossing movies like ‘Wedding Party’, ‘Up North’, ‘King of Boys’, and so many others.

The 2022 AMVCA award is set to recognise the Best Online Content Creator, a trailblazing move that recognises the shift in comedy and its production beyond the stage. The nominees for the new category are Tee Kuro ‘Nollywood Epic Love Movie 1&2 (Mr Parody)’, Bukunmi Adeaga-Ilori – ‘Kayamata’, Oga Sabinus  ‘Mr Funny’, Jacqueline Suowari – ‘Of Line and Layers’, Edem Victor – ‘First Date Mummy’s Boy’, Elozonam Ogbolu ‘Affiah De Javu’, Mr Macaroni ‘Multi Personality Disorder’.

The bold step is revolutionary as it places importance on the art and craft of the online content creators and opens up more opportunities. In a few years, the industry would likely expand, opening up a big genre that would be impactful for the arts and for the economy.

As the continent awaits the winners of AMVCA 8, one thing is certain: regardless of the status of the winners, it’s going to go a notch higher.

Voting for this edition’s AMVCAs is open untill Friday, 29 April 2022. To be eligible to vote, fans will need to register on web and mobile to vote for their favorite nominee(s) in the following categories: Best Actor in a Comedy (Movie/TV Series), Best Actor in a Drama (Movie/TV Series), Best Actress in a Comedy (Movie/TV Series), Best Actress in a Drama (Movie/TV Series), Best Supporting Actor (Movie/TV Series), Best Supporting Actress (Movie/TV Series) , Best Short Film or Online Video, Best Online Social Content Creator, Best Africa Magic Original Drama Series and Best Africa Magic Original Comedy Series.

Visit www.africamagic.tv for more information. The eighth edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards is brought to viewers by Africa Magic in association with MultiChoice, and is proudly sponsored by Amstel Malta.