US-based Ghanaian filmmaker Blitz Bazawule and young actress Cynthia Dankwa were among the list of winners at the 2019 edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).

The 15th edition of the awards held on Sunday, at the Landmark event centre in Lagos, Nigeria, was a star-studded one which saw some stakeholders in the African movie industry received honours for their work.

Young actress Cynthia was adjudged Best Young/Promising Actor Dankwa’’ for her role as Esi in ‘The Burial of Kojo’.

Blitz Bazawule

Blitz Bazawule, who is well-known as rapper Bazaar, received an award for his directorial debut ‘The Burial of Kojo’.

He beat follow Ghanaian Nicole Amarteifo (Before the Vows) (Ghana, Nigeria’s Adekunle “Nodash” Adejuyigbe (The Delivery Boy) and Tanzania’s Sippy Chadha - Subira to win ‘Best Director-First Feature Film’.

‘The Burial of Kojo’ is a 2018 drama film set in Ghana, written and directed by Blitz Bazawule.

Filmed entirely in Ghana on a micro-budget, with local crew and several first-time actors, the film tells the story of Kojo (Joseph Otsiman), who is left to die in an abandoned gold mine, as his young daughter Esi (newcomer Cynthia Dankwa) travels through a spirit land to save him.

The film was produced by Blitz Bazawule, Ama Abebrese and Kwaku Obeng Boateng.

It had its world premiere in New York on September 21, 2018, at the Urban World Film Festival, where it was recognized as Best Narrative Feature (World Cinema). It is distributed by ARRAY and was released on the popular streaming service Netflix on March 21, 2019, making it the first Ghanaian film to premiere in selected countries worldwide, on Netflix.

Saturday’s event was hosted by multi-talented actress Lala Akindoju, comedian Funnybone and Lorenzo Menakaya.

See the full list of winners below:

1. Michael Anyiam Osigwe Award For Best Film by an African-Born Director Living Abroad

– Julius Amedume – Rattlesnakes (WINNER)

– Tosin Coker – Lara and the Beats

– Robert O. Peters – Makeroom

 

2. Best Diaspora Short Film

– Bail (UK) (WINNER)

– Oath Bound (UK)

– Fevah (USA)

– I Am Superman (Brazil)

 

3. Best Diaspora Documentary

– Wax Print 1 FABRIC, 4 continent (UK)

– The Guardian of No Return (Guadalope)

– Dare to Dream (USA/CUBA)

– Drugs as Weapons Against Us (USA)

– My Friend Fela (Brazil) (WINNER)

 

4. Best Diaspora Narrative Feature

– Nine Nights (UK)

– Olympia (USA)

– Traffik (US)

– Hero (Trinidad and Tobago/Canada) (WINNER)

– Sprinter (Jamaica)

 

5. Best Achievement in Production Design

– Redemption (Mozambique) (WINNER)

– Rafiki (Kenya)

– Ellen, The Ellen Parkies Stories (S. Africa)

– Urgent (Morroco)

– Burial of Kojo (Ghana)

– Sew the Winter to My Skin (S. Africa)

– Mercy of the Jungle (Rwanda)

– Delivery Boy (Nigeria)

 

6. Best Achievement in Costume Design

– Sew the Winter to My Skin (S. Africa)

– Light in the Dark (Nigeria)

– Rafiki (Kenya)

– King of Boys (Nigeria)

– Lara and the Beats (Nigeria)

– Urgent (Morocco)

– Mabata Bata (Mozambique)

– Mercy of the Jungle (Rwanda) (WINNER)

 

7. Best Achievement in Make-Up

– Makeroom (Nigeria)

– Gold Statue (Nigeria)

– Veronica’s Wish (Uganda)

– Sew the Winter to My Skin (S. Africa)

– Before the Vows (GHANA)

– Mercy of the Jungle (Rwanda) (WINNER)

– The Burial of Kojo (Ghana)

 

8. Best Achievement in Soundtrack

– Subira (Kenya)

– Mabata Bata (Mozambique) (WINNER)

– Farewell Ella Bella (S. AFRICA)

– Mercy of the Jungle (Rwanda)

– Sew the Winter to My Skin (S. Africa)

– Lara and the Beats (Nigeria)

– The Delivery Boy (Nigeria)

– Redemption (Mozambique)

 

9. Best Achievement in Visual Effects

– Makeroom (Nigeria)

– Sew the Winter to My Skin (S. Africa)

– Knockout Blessing (Nigeria) (WINNER)

– Mabata Bata (Mozambique)

– The Delivery Boy (Nigeria)

– The King of Boys (Nigeria)

– Burial of Kojo (Ghana)

 

10. NFVCB Award For Best Nigerian Film

– The Delivery Boy

– Lara and the Beats

– Makeroom

– King of Boys (WINNER)

– Gold Statute

– Up North

– Knockout Blessing

 

11. Best Documentary

– Djambar, Sembene the Unsubmissive (Cameroun)

– The State Against Mandela (South Africa)

– Golden Fish, African Fish (Senegal)

– Skin (Nigeria)

– Khartoum Offside (Sudan) (WINNER)

– Le loups d’or de Balole (Burkina Faso)

– Sur Les Traces de Mamani Abdoulaye (Niger)

– No Gold For Katsaka (Burkina Faso)

– Mother, I am Suffocating, This Is My Last Film About You (Lesotho)

 

12. Ousmane Sembene Award For Best Film in an African Language

– Makeroom (Nigeria)

– Mabata Bata (Mozambique)

– Rafiki (Kenya) (WINNER)

– Bahasha -The Envelope (Tanzania)

– Azali (Ghana)

 

13. Efere Ozako Award For Best Short Film

– The Fisherman (Ghana)

– A Tune of Kora (Senegal) (WINNER)

– ICYASHA (Rwanda)

– NAMOW2018 (KENYA)

– Vagabond (GHANA)

– Measure of a Woman (SA)

– Mma Moeketsi (SA)

– Motswakwa (BOTSWANA)

– Tonight’s Opening Act (EGYPT)

– Hello Rain (NIGERIA)

 

14. Best Achievement in Sound

– The Last Victim (S. Africa)

– Sew the Winter to My Skin (S. Africa)

– Makeroom (Nigeria)

– The Delivery Boy (Nigeria)

– The Burial of Kojo (Ghana)

– Urgent (Morocco)

– Mabata Bata (Mozambique) (WINNER)

– Redemption (Mozambique)

 

15. Best Achievement in Cinematography

– Mabata Bata (Mozambique)

– Sew the Winter to My Skin (South Africa) (WINNER)

– Mother, I am Suffocating, This Is My Last Film About You (Lesotho)

– Redemption (Mozambique)

– Rafiki (Kenya)

– Delivery Boy (Nigeria)

– The Burial of Kojo (Ghana)

– Redemption (Mozambique)

 

16. Best Achievement in Editing

– The Delivery Boy (Nigeria)

– The Burial of Kojo (Ghana)

– The Last Victim (S. Africa)

– Rafiki (Kenya) (WINNER)

– The Gold Statute (Nigeria)

– Diamond in the Sky (Nigeria)

– Mercy of the Jungle (Rwanda)

– Sew The Winter To My Skin (S. Africa)

 

17. Best Achievement in Screenplay

– The Delivery Boy (Nigeria)

– The Last Victim (South Africa)

– Rafiki (Kenya)

– Diamond in the Sky (Nigeria)

– Gold Statute (Morocco)

– Lara and the Beats (Nigeria)

– Redemption (Mozambique) (WINNER)

– Up North (Nigeria)

 

18. Best Animation

– Kitwana Journey – Kenya

– Choices – Nigeria (WINNER)

– Isolated- Kenya

– Afrogames – Burkina Faso

 

19. Best Young/Promising Actor

– Youssef Alaoui (Ayoub) URGENT

– Angel Onyinyechi Unigwe (Adaeze) LIGHT IN THE DARK

– Cynthia Dankwa (Esi) BURIAL OF KOJO (WINNER)

– Emilio Bilo (Azarias) Mabata Bata

– Jamma Ibrahim (Amir) The Delivery Boy

– Catherine Credo (Neema) Fatuma

 

20. Best Actor in a Supporting Role

– Remilekun “Reminisce” Sarafu (Makanaki) King of Boys

– Jarrid Geduld 9 (Abie) Ellen, The Ellen Parkies Story (WINNER)

– Zolisa Xaluva (Wyatt Earp) Sew the Winter to my Skin

– Kanayo O. Kanyayo (Chief Otuekong) Up North

– Kobina Amissah-Sam (Kwabina) The Burial of Kojo

– Bucci Franklyn (Dagogo) Knockout Blessing

 

21. Best Actress in a Supporting Role

– Eniola Shobayo (Vivian) Knockout Blessing

– Linda Ejiofor (Oby) - Knockout Blessing

– Kandyse McClure (Golden Eyes) - Sew the Winter to My Skin

– Adesua Etomi (Kemi) - The King of Boys (WINNER)

– Joke Silva (Mama Jumoke) - Light in the Dark

– Arlete Bombe (Mia) - Redemption

 

22. Best Actor in a Leading Role

– Gabriel Afolayan - Gold Statue

– Joseph Otsiman (Kojo) - The Burial of Kojo

– Chinedu Ikedieze (Big Chi) - Lara and the Beats

– Jimmy Jean Louis (Robert McQueen) - Rattlesnakes

– Gil Alexandre (Bruno) Redemption

– Marc Zinga - (Mercy of the Jungle) (WINNER)

– Ezra Mabengeza (Samson) Sew The Winter To My Skin

– Ayoub Bombwe ( Mwanyusi ) Fatuma

 

23. Best Actress in a Leading Role

– Sheila Munyiva (Ziki) - Rafik

– Rita Dominic (Jumoke Arinze) Light in the Dark

– Jill Levenberg (Ellen) The Ellen Parkies Story

– Beatrice Taisamo (Fatuma) - Fatuma

– Seyi Shay (Lara) - Lara and the Beats

– Sola Sobowale (Eniola) - King of Boys (WINNER)

– Jemima Osunde (Nkem) - The Delivery Boy

– Samantha Mugatsia (Kena) - Rafiki

 

24. Best Director-First Feature Film

– Blitz Bazawule - The Burial of Kojo (Ghana) (WINNER)

– Adekunle “Nodash” Adejuyigbe – The Delivery Boy (Nigeria)

– Sippy Chadha - Subira (Tanzania)

– Nicole Amarteifo - Before the Vows (Ghana)

 

25. Best Director

– Wanuri Kahui - Rafiki (Kenya)

– Adekunle “Nodash” Adejuyigbe - The Delivery Boy (Nigeria)

– Daryne Joshua - Ellen, The Ellen Parkies Story (S. Africa)

– Jahmil X. Qubeka - Sew the Winter to My Skin (S. Africa) (WINNER)

– Kemi Adetiba - King of Boys (Nigeria)

– Mohcine Besri - Urgent (Morocco)

– Mickey Fonseca - Redemption (Mozambique)

– Joël Karekezi - Mercy of the Jungle (Rwanda)

 

26. Best Film

– Rafiki (Kenya)

– Mercy of the Jungle (Rwanda) (WINNER)

– The Delivery Boy (Nigeria)

– Ellen, The Ellen Parkies Story (S. Africa)

– Sew the Winter to My Skin (S. Africa)

– Redemption (Mozambique)

– King of Boys (Nigeria)

– Urgent (Morocco)