Weeks after the Founder/CEO of Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), Ms Peace Anyia-Osigwe, announced her decision to step down as executive officer of the continental award show, another industry practitioner, Fidelis Duker, who founded Abuja International Film Festival (AIFF), has announced his resolve to take the back seat.
While Duker will continue with the title of Founder, he has appointed notable actor cum film director, Fred Amata, as director of the festival, which enters its 11th edition this year.
AIFF’s Head, Media Communications, Mr. Louis Okpoto, said: “Amata will be leading a team of creative individuals as the acting festival director of the 11th Abuja International Film Festival, whose theme is: 100 years of Films in Nigeria…A Retrospect. He will be receiving the baton of leadership from Mr. Fidelis Duker who founded the film festival almost 11 years ago, and whose role will be in advisory capacity cum founder of the film festival.”
A film festival is an organised and extended presentation of films, in one or more cinemas or screening venues, where practitioners also converge for networking. By his new appointment, Amata, is expected to run the affairs of the AIFF, which is billed to hold in Abuja from September 23 to 26.
A graduate of Theatre Arts from the University of Jos, Amata was the second director of Ripples, the longest running TV soap in the ‘80s. He has won several awards, including his heartrending role in the 1996 movie, Mortal Inheritance, playing alongside Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde. Amata has also worked with several TV stations such NTA, Clapperboard TV and DBN Television.
“He (Amata) made his debut as an actor in the award–winning TV series, Legacy in 1986. In a career spanning almost three decades, Fred has earned directorial, acting and performance credits in over 150 productions spanning almost the entire genre of film, theatre, and cinema,” Okpoto said in a statement.
Relaying the new appointee’s huge profile, the statement credited Amata as having “won the coveted Nigerian Best Actor Award (Mortal Inheritance, 1997), Best Director Award (Light and Darkness, 2002), and several other awards and recognitions, including Afro-Hollywood Awards for Outstanding Performance, London (1999); Outstanding Performance and Contribution to the Nigeria Film Industry, Washington DC (April 2004) and Nollywood Ambassadors Award, Kenya (May 2010).
“Fred Amata has consulted for the UNFPA on the use of Nollywood content for advocacy, and was inducted into the Movie Makers Hall of Fame, USA in October 2009.
When off set, Fred is an ardent football, scrabble and chess player, who loves music and dancing, travelling and discovering peoples of the world and their culinary delights.”
Recent Comments