Kunle Afolayan, Kemi Lala, others perform at AFRIFF Globe Award

This year’s edition of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) – the 7th in the series – came to a close, Saturday night, with the Globe Award that awarded  Keneth Gyang’s The Lost Cafe the Audience Choice diadem.

In other categories of the award, the festival’s opening film, I AM Not A Witch won as Best Film, while the closing film, Felicite, won  Alian Gomis the Best Director laurel.

Oronto Douglas Memorial Award for Best Nigerian Film went to Hakkunde, Best Screenplay went to Dauda Coulibali for the film Hulu, while Best Actor, and Best Actress went to Ibrahim Kumar (Hulu) and Lydia Forson (Keteke) respectively.

Others are; Best Student Short Film, The Fall (South Africa); Best Short Film, 1745 (UK); Best Documentary, We Have Never Been Kids; and Best French Language Film, Hulu (Mali).

Heaf  of the Jury, Janaina Oliveira, praised the quality of entries received, which she said explore life, love, sorrows and hope.

According to Oliveira, “Nigerian cinema is clearly on the move, thus, the special jury prize for outstanding film went to Moses Ewang’s movie, Alter Ego.

But the ceremony was not all about awards, but also about great entertainment.

Hosted by Nollywood actress, Kemi Lala Akindoju, and Serge Noukoue of Nollywood  Week Paris, the night kicked off with a saxophone rendition of the Nigerian national anthem, had Kemi Lala rendering the late Brenda Fassie’s Vulindlela, while a drama relaying the challenges of shooting in Nigeria, and starring Kunle Afolayan, Kelechi Udegbe (Officer Titus), and Greg Oj got the audience cheering.

Founder/ CEO of AFRIFF, Ms Chioma was full of gratitude to sponsors, partners and the featival’s team members, saying they have all joined hands to make the annual event one of the biggest film festivals in Africa.

AFRIFF’s Project Director, Afie Braimoh described the festival as a week of well planned events, screening, trainings, networking and great parties.

AFRIFF students who won scholarship to a film school in France were also presented to the audience at the Eko Hotel Convention Center, Victoria Island, venue of the Global Awards.

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