Judith Audu, Desmond Utomwen, Others Win Big At Abuja Int’l Film Festival 2016

Popular blogger cum actress, Judith Audu and rising filmmaker/FreshNEWS Web TV CEO, Desmond Utomwen were among the big winners at the recently concluded Abuja International Film Festival (AIFF 2016).

Utomwen, whose short film, Shared was nominated as most outstanding short film and screened at the festival also emerged as a multiple winner of both the Organisers’ Choice Award and Peoples’ Choice Award in the Canon Street Photography Challenge, which has contestants from across West Africa.

Judith was rewarded for her effort in Just Not Married as the most outstanding female actress. She was grouped in the same category as Bukky Wright (Adie Balokun & Commotion), Ann Njemanze (Ireti), Linda Ejiofor (A Soldier’s Story), Juliet Ibrahim (Shattered Romance), Joke Muyiwa (Eni Owo-The Saint), and Noorttje Heelar (Paradise Trip).

On the other hand, Ghanaian Prince David Osei won the award for the Outstanding Male Actor for his marvelous display in The Last Night.

Paul Apel Paul’s Conscripted bagged the Audience Choice Awards while Alvan Obichie’s Opeyemi emerged the winner of the Outstanding Short Film. A Soldier’s Story by Frankie Ogah emerged the Outstanding Indigenous Feature Film, while Hard Cop (Vivir Y Dejar Matar) by Argentine Juan Gabriel Cornel was awarded the Outstanding Feature Film in the foreign category.

Other winners include:

A Turned Table by Samson Nungkop (Outstanding Student Film)

Iranian’s Until Ahmad Return by Sadegh Dachighi (Outstanding Film In Directing)

Record Mundiale by Mexican, Santiano Great (Outstanding Documentary Film)

Monster Hunt by Chinese Raman Hui (Outstanding Film In Animation)

Alma Christa by Eka Assam (Outstanding Foreign Short Film)

Monster Hunt by Raman Hui (Golden Jury Award)

Wakrike by Chinwike Onwuchekwa (Efere Ozako Best Experimental)

The Tale Of Love by Iranian, Ahmad Ramezanzedeh (Outstanding Music Score)

The Abuja International Film Festival in its 13th series was held between 4 and 7 October 2016 at the Cinema floor in Silverbird Galleria in Abuja.

The festival witnessed the screening of 65 films from 37 countries from the over seven hundred entries received from 57 countries. It also witnessed the attendance of 30 exhibitors who came to exhibit their product and services during the 4-day event.

This year’s AIFF was very much different from previous years as it had unprecedented 3221 visitors at the festival during the four days. This, arguably, is the largest number of visitors at any film festival in Nigeria.