…Stage 3rd edition of Nollywood Movie Awards in Lagos
By Olu Victor
The third edition of Nollywood Movie Awards (NMA) has been scheduled to hold on October 18 in Lagos. Organisers of the show, Dipo Winsala and Alfred Soroh, both Executive Directors of Nollywood Movies TV on SKY 329, UK said at a press briefing recently that this year’s outing will mark the centenary celebrations of Nigeria in a grand way.
The event which is being partnered by a Lagos-based Integrated Marketing Communications company, Media Specialties Ltd is scheduled to take place ata the Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos. “We are proud of what Nollywood is doing for Nigeria and Nigerians. So this is our way of giving back to the industry and the people driving it forward. Last year, our ‘Star’ prize was a Nissan saloon which was won in a live ballot on the night by O.C. Ukeje, winner ‘Best Actor’ NMA award 2013,” said Winsala.
Tagged “100% Nollywood”, Media Specialties is expected to embrace and promote the Awards event as a viable brand. The media team is being led by Mr. Michael Adeyanju and Miss Titilola Odufuye. And according to the duo, “sponsors will enjoy corporate or brand exposure to audiences in three continents with combined audience reach of over 20 million viewers across Africa, Europe and South America. Indeed, the NMA promises to be a major transcontinental event for the African Continent and its worldwide audience.”
The award categories have been expanded to 30 this year, and organisers say special recognition will be given to films done in indigenous Nigerian languages. They added that the NMA centenary edition among other objectives, seeks to showcase Nigeria’s culture and bring the awareness of Nollywood into the Diaspora and beyond. It also aims to show to people who have not visited home for a long time, or have never been to Nigeria how diverse and rich the country’s cultural heritage is.
Although the Nollywood Movies (Sky 329) will be running a UK-based campaign on its station, which is received across Europe, a number of media collaborators like SKY Channel 199 (Vox Africa), GoTV, AIT cable channel, ONTV, Silverbird TV, among others, will add to the reach of millions of viewership across the globe.
It is not clear which filmmakers or films have been nominated, and in what categories, but organisers assured that each of the category nominees have been voted for by a multinational panel of independent Nollywood watchers, most of whom are experienced film academics.
According to Ope Bankole, NMA’s commercial Director, Ope Bankole, the awards ceremony is a veritable platform to showcase Nigeria’s culture, with a promise of a total viewership of about 50 million people across the world.
Image: https://wadup.com.ng