This Week In Nollywood: Amazon Leaves, Showmax Rebrands And Other Stories
This Week In Nollywood: Amazon Leaves, Showmax Rebrands And Other Stories
The film industry ends the week with mixed feelings. Showmax's rebrand and new commitment to Africa offers some hope while Amazon Prime's refocus away from Africa calls for some introspection.
This Week in Nollywood is a recapitulation of the significant events in the industry this week. While you were busy chasing the bag during the week, Nollywood was cooking! Here are the things you missed.
Amazon Prime cuts funding in Africa and the Middle East in favour of European originals
Prime Video is to cease operations in Africa and the Middle East. The streaming service has announced a restructuring which would see a cut in funding for African produced content in favour of European originals.
This recent development is set to impact any anticipated or existing deals with African filmmakers and the implications would be better seen in the near future. See more details here.
Showmax 2.0 - New look, product plans, pricing and anticipated content
Showmax officially announced its relaunch on Monday, January 15 as it gears for a fresh content rollout. The new Showmax promises a wide array of content. As its mandate is a commitment to Africans, the platform is set to relaunch with a 21-content slate of original African stories. Amongst these are Cheta’m, Sadau Sisters, Free Men, Flawsome, and The Marriage Counselor.
Showmax 2.0 presents users with new product plans and reduced prices. The platform says viewers can stream for 24 hours with just one gigabyte of data.
King of Boys 3 is in the works
Film director, Kemi Adetiba has announced the third iteration of the blockbuster thriller, King of Boys. She shared the news on her Instagram page on Thursday.
This comes two years after the release of the feature film’s sequel in 2022. Adetiba recently concluded the production of her anticipated feature film, To Kill A Monkey.
AMVCA reviews award categories as entries open ahead of 10th edition
The AMVCAs are back, better and a little different. Africa Magic, in association with Multichoice Nigeria, has called on all African filmmakers to submit their movies and films publicly exhibited or broadcast between December 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023, for this year’s edition.
The entry portal opened on January 15th and closes on February 14th. All films (aired in cinemas or otherwise), made-for-television movies and television series, so long as they meet the terms and conditions, are eligible.
The tenth edition will award winners in 27 categories – 16 non-voting and nine audience voting categories, and two recognition Awards – Lifetime Achievement and Trailblazer Awards. The performance awards have undergone streamlining and will fall under the categories of Best Actor or Best Actress in a Leading or Supporting Role, with winners determined by the jury deviating from the previous audience voting system.
Non-voting categories are; Best Lead Actor and Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Director, Art Direction, Cinematography, and Costume Design. More categories include Best Writing in a Movie and TV Series, Best Movie and TV Series, Best Short Film, Best Documentary, and Best Sound Design, Editing, and Makeup.
The public can vote in categories like Best Scripted and Unscripted Africa Magic Original, Best Digital Content Creator, Best Indigenous Language (West, East, and Southern Africa), Best Multichoice Talent Factory Film, and Best Indigenous Africa Magic Original.
To enter the awards, all filmmakers must prepare the movie for consideration with online submission. Visit https://www.africamagic.tv/AMVCA for submissions and more details.
Rainmaker comes on Prime Video
Director and CEO of Anthills studios, Niyi Akinmolayan has teased his upcoming documentary Rainmaker, which would be coming to Prime Video. According to the filmmaker, the film explores the truth behind rainmakers. The story covers stories of rainmakers in three Nigerian states — Osun, Oyo and Edo.
Rainmakers comes to Prime Video on March 1.
Films Showing This Friday
Merrymen 2: The Nemesis
