On May 20, 2023, the continent gathered to honour the best at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA).
With Kunle Afolayan's Netflix Original, Anikulapo leading the pack with 16 nominations, while Shanty Town, and Jade Osiberu's action thriller, Brotherhood, each scored 11 nominations, the stage was set for a dramatic night.
While some of the winners were relatively predictable, the ninth edition of the awards managed to ruffle a lot of feathers with the calibre of filmmakers who left empty-handed.
Pulse breaks down the biggest snubs and surprises of the 2023 AMVCA:
Shanty Town leaves with only one win
As previously stated, Shanty Town had some of the most nominations, so it stands to reason that the show would get a couple of trophies.
To everyone's surprise, the series only won one award despite receiving 11 nominations across various categories.
While Tobi Bakre has brought his A-game this year, no one can deny the hard work that Chidi Mokeme put into Shanty Town. Having him take home the Best Actor award would have been great for the series and a major nod to his remarkable comeback.
Best Actress goes to Osas Ighodaro
First, let's start by admitting that this was a tough category. With highly skilled names like Nse Ikpe-Etim, and newer contenders like Bimbo Ademoye, and Scarlet Gomez in the running, the race for Best Actress was a difficult one.
However, we do not think anyone saw Ighodaro's win; even the actress seemed as shocked as the rest of us when she got on the stage. This is going to be a subject of conversation for a while.
The Trade gets nothing
Jade Osiberu's Brotherhood is like the baby of the house that everyone keeps dotting on and deservedly so, since it's an enjoyable movie. However, tucked away in the corner away from the spotlight is The Trade.
From fantastic acting, impressive casting to compelling storytelling, this movie has it all. Blossom Chukwujekwu completely disappears into his character, delivering arguably his best performance yet.
Despite getting four nominations, being extremely good and getting rave reviews, The Trade left with nothing which is a huge letdown.
Anikulapo wins Best Writer
It's a well-known fact Nollywood has a writing issue, however, we have to admit that there were some interesting scripts from Diiche (Episode 5), Kanaani to Choke.
While Anikulapo did a couple of things rights, we do not think anyone saw it coming when the movie won the Best Writer award. With the rest of the worthy opponents, we have to call this a bona fide snub.
Overall, the ninth edition of the AMVCA was equal parts great and disappointing. Kudos to the winners and a nod of recognition to the 'cheated' filmmakers, we see your hard work.