AMAA 2016: The inside story

The 12th edition of the prestigious African Movie Academy Awards, AMAA, may have come and gone. But for those who attended the awards night the show will remain fresh in their minds. Pete Edochie, RMD and RIvers First Lady, Eberechi Wike. Pete Edochie, RMD and Rivers First Lady, Eberechi Wike. Besides the glamour, the entertainment and the moving speeches made by the winners of the various categories of the awards, there were moments that either made or almost marred the night. Here, we bring to you the inside story of 2016 AMAA. When Pete Edochie, RMD met on AMAA stage One of the memorable moments of the awards night was when veteran actor Pete Edochie mounted the stage to present the Lifetime Achievement award to RMD. Dressed in his royal regalia, Pete was the cynosure of all eyes at the event. Thunderous ovation greeted the veteran actor, as he climbed the stage gracefully to present the award to RMD. While presenting the award, Pete forgot that he was on stage. In a scene that looked like a movie script, the bearded actor excitedly hugged RMD and quickly had a traditional handshake with him. Making a short speech, the Ebubedike himself urged the Minster of Information and Culture , Alhaji Lai Mohammad to ensure the inclusion of history in our school curricula. On his own, Richard Mofe Damijo who recently staged a comeback to his first love- acting after serving as a two-time Commissioner for Tourism and Culture in Delta State was in high spirit at the show. The ace- actor was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award alongside Olu Jacobs, his wife, Joke Silva and Tony Akposhore. Looking dapper in his black suit, RMD was the bridegroom of the night. In his acceptance speech, he paid a special tribute to late movie producer, Amaka Igwe and later dedicated the award to ‘every child that is born in an unknown street in Warri.’ RMD reflects on his 33 years as a professional actor and how humble he feels to receive a lifetime achievement award. “So in just 33 years as a ‘pro-actor’ I get a lifetime achievement award. I am humbled, thrilled and super-grateful. I want to thank all my directors, producers, teachers and colleagues. I want to particularly acknowledge Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, Dr Mike Adenuga, my fans who continue to authenticate me, my wife who is my solid rock and safe place, the mother of my children and my hero, and everyone that has made it with me on this incredible journey. “It was an amazing night and who is better to be on hand to do it for me than Ebubedike himself, the lion, Pete Edochie. I was also blessed to be in the distinguished company of two of my favourite people who are not just actors to me, Mr. and Mrs. Olu Jacobs.” Doris Simon bounced! You may find this funny, but a mild drama ensued while on board Air Peace back to Lagos from Port Harcourt. Many of the celebrities had occupied the first class seats since it was a free seating arrangement. But unfortunately for them, while they were dreaming of flying first class for the first time, the unexpected happened. The air hostesses cut their dreams short by chasing them away from the seats. It was so humiliating moment, as one of the victims, Doris Simon rightly muttered, “we have been chased away.” Light outs, poor outing for Mike Ezuruonye, Lilokoe Besides the high moments of the night, there were also a few hitches here and there. The event was punctuated with protracted light-outs, uninspiring hosts and poor live transmission. For 15 minutes, the expansive auditorium was thrown into darkness. The generating set, which was supplying power to the auditorium suddenly went off, throwing the whole place into darkness. The awards night was brought to a halt, until Five-Star music duo, Kcee and Harrysong, came on stage to salvage the situation. Even at that, the show hosts, Mike Ezuruonye, and his South African counterpart, Kgopedi Lilokoe, were so flat and boring on stage. To many, the duo were the wrong stars to host the show. It was so bad that at a point, many started leaving the auditorium preferring to catch their fun on the red carpet. But apart from these shortcomings, the show was a great outing for Nollywood and indeed, African film makers and stars. How Daniel K Daniel lost his phone on the red carpet Vibrant actor and model, Daniel Kanayo Daniel, who won the award for Best Actor in a leading role for his performance in the movie, “Soldiers Story” had a very bad experience at the awards night. The handsome actor who is best known for his portrayal of the heroic, yet antagonistic Oviawe in the Amstel Malta Box office, lost his cell phone while walking the red carpet. He was spotted being crowded by paparazzi, TV presenters and admirers who wanted to have a shot with him. And before he knew what was happening, his cell phone suddenly disappeared into thin air. Though it was a bad experience for him, Daniel took solace in his award as the Best Actor in Africa.