It was a night of glitz and glamour as the stars of some of the most raved about African films to date descended on Yenagoa, Nigeria on March 27th to celebrate and honor the best of the best. "Viva Riva!" a crime drama from Congo nabbed the top prize of the night by winning Best Film. And fittingly enough, the film's director, Djo Tunda Wa Munga won the best directing prize. The film also gave Hoji Fortuna and Marlene Longage best supporting actor and actress honors respectively. It also took home best cinematography and best production design. So its pretty clear that "Viva Riva!" was the big winner of the night. Other major winners of the night include Leila Djansi for her much hailed film "Sinking Sands". Actress Amake Abebrese won a Best Actress trophy for her role in the film, and Best make-up and screenplay round up the film's honors. Themba Ndaba won Best Actor for his portrayal as a recovering alcoholic In "Hopeville" as well as Edward Kagtuzi who also won an acting award in the Young Actor category for his work in Obi Emelonye's film "Mirror Boy". And finally the film that documented life on the streets of Africa through the eyes of South African youngsters, "Izulu Lami" (My Secret Sky) impressed enough to garner the Best Film in an African language.
It was certainly a night of thrills and surprises, but most importantly, it was a night that reinforced the emergence of African talent in film.
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