Nigerians ‘Kidnap’ Ghanaian Actor Majid Michel Ahead Of African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) ! Forced To Drink Palm Wine…

Kidnapping of movie stars is very rampant in Nigeria. Nollywood actors such as Peter Edochie, John Okafor also known as Mr. Ibu have been kidnapped before and released later after payments paid to their kidnappers.

The latest movie star to be kidnapped in Nigeria is Ghanaian Actor “Majid Michel”. Ahead of the final day for the winners of the 7^th edition of the African Movie Academy Awards to be declared on Sunday, Ghanaian actor and nominee in the up coming AMAA has been kidnapped by a cross section of the Bayelsan citizen. He was kidnapped when he visited the poolside where the delegates from the various African countries were assembled.

However this kidnapping didn’t involve guns and shooting. It was what people will call ‘mutual kidnapping’. This time, the actor wasn’t kidnapped for weeks and didn’t pay anything to be released. He was held for several hours to the chagrin of the organizers of the wedding ceremony.

The kidnappers didn’t come with gun, they had just come to the hotel to attend a wedding ceremony and midway through the event, the Ghanaian actor appeared from no where and immediately all attention was turned to him. For hours, they held him hostage and demanded he either take pictures with them or would not allowed to go.

Though Majid, who is nominated in the ‘Best Actor In Leading Role’ category for his role in the movie ‘Pool Party’ managed to escape the Nigerian spotlight at the airport when the aircraft he travelled in touched down at Muntala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, a time that activities at the airport had come to a halt, he couldn’t gather enough courage to say No to the kidnappers who were mostly women, children and young men.

Without any option whatsoever, the actor was then obliged to take pictures with each of the attendee. Photographers, who had come there to work, also took the opportunity to extort money from the people. They snapped and printed the pictures instantly for them.

Some of the women offered their babies to be taken pictures with by the Ghanaian actor who is competing with his compatriot ‘Ekow Blankson’ from the movie ‘Checkmate’, ‘Themba Ndaba’ in Hopeville, ‘Patsha Bay’ in Viva Riva, ‘Jimmy Jean-Louis’ in Sinking Sands, and ‘Antar Laniyan’ in Yemoja.

The wedding ceremony was put on hold, it commenced after the photo-taking section with the actor. Some men who were enjoying palm wine offered him some and forced him to drink it, which he did without hesitation.

Below Is The Full List Of This Year’s AMAA’s Nominations + Photos…

Best Short Film

Bongfen – Petra Baninla Sunjo (Cameroun)
Weakness – Wanjiru Kairu (Kenya)
No Jersey No Match – Daniel Ademinokan (Nigeria)
Duty – Mak Kusare (Nigeria)
Bonlambo – Zwe Lesizwe Ntuli (South Africa)
Zebu And The Photofish – Zipporah Nyarori (Kenya)
Dina – Mickey Fonseca (Mozambique)
Allahkabo – Bouna Cherif Fofana (Togo)

Best Short Documentary

Symphony Kinsasha – Diendo Hamadi & Dinta Wa Lusula (Congo)
Naija Diamonds (Feature On Dr. Rahmat Mohammed) – Nform Leonard (Nigeria)
After The Mine – Diendo Hamadi & Dinta Wa Lusula (DRC)
Stepping Into The Unknown – Rowena Aldous & Jill Hanas-Hancock (South Africa)
Yeabu’s Homecoming – Jenny Chu (Sierra Leone)

Best Documentary

Kondi Et Le Jeudi Nationale – Ariana Astrid Atodji (Cameroun)
Headlines In History – Zobby Bresson (Kenya)
Co-Exist – Adam Mazo (Rwanda)
State Of Mind – Djo Tunda Wa Munga (Congo)
Naija Diamonds – Nfrom Leonard (Nigeria)

Best Diaspora Feature

Suicide Dolls – Keith Shaw (USA)
Tested – Russell Costanzo (USA)

Nothing Less -Wayne Saunders (UK)
The Village -Wayne Saunders (UK)

Best Diaspora Documentary

Stubborn As A Mule – Miller Bargeron Jr & Arcelous Deiels (Usa)

Momentum- Zeinabu Irene Davis (USA)
If Not Now – Louis Haggart (USa)
Motherland – Owen Alik Shahadah (USA)
Changement – Chiara Cavallazi (Italy)

Best Diaspora Short Film
Cycle- Roy Clovis (USA)
Under Tow – Miles Orion Feld (USA)
Habitual Aggression – Temi Ojo (USA)
Little Soldier – Dallas King (USA)
The New N Word – Sowande Tichawonna (USA)
Precipice – Julius Amedume (UK)

Best Film For African Abroad

Anchor Baby – Lonzo Nzekwe (Nigeria/Canada)
In America: The Story Of The Soul Sisters- Rahman Oladigbolu (Nigeria/USA)
Mirror Boy – Obi Emelonye (Nigeria/UK)
Africa United – Debs Gardner-Brook (Rwanda/UK)

Best Production Design
Tango With Me
Viva Riva
Hopeville
6 Hours To Christmas
Maami

Best Costume Design

Inale
Yemoja
Sinking Sands
Aramotu
Elmina

Best Makeup

Inale
Sinking Sands
A Private Storm
Viva Riva
A Small Town Called Descent

Best Soundtrack

Viva Riva
Africa United
Izulu Lami

Inale
A Small Town Called Descent

Best Visual Effects

Aramotu
Nani
Who Owns Da City
Inale
A Small Town Called Descent

Best Achievement In Sound
Sinking Sands
Shirley Adams
Izulu Lami
Viva Riva
Tango With Me

Best Cinematography

Sinking Sands
Maami
Izulu Lami
Hopeville
Viva Riva

Best Screenplay

Soul Boy
Sinking Sands
Hopeville
Shirley Adams
Izulu Lami

Best Nigerian Film

Maami – Tunde Kelani
Aramotu – Niji Akanni
Tango With Me – Mahmood Ali- Balogun
Inale – Jeta Amata
A Private Storm – Lancelot Oduwa Imaseun/Ikechukwu Onyeka

Best Film In African Language

Aramotu – Niji Akanni (Nigeria)
Izulu Lami – Madoda Ncayiyana (South Africa)
Soul Boy- Hawa Essuman (Kenya)
Suwi – Musola Catherine Kaseketi (Zambia)
Fishing The Little Stone – Kaz Kasozi (Uganda)

Best Child Actor

Sobahle Mkhabase (Thembi), Tschepang Mohlomi (Chili-Bite) And Sibonelo Malinga(Khwezi) – Izulu Lami
Eriya Ndayambaje- Dudu In Africa United
Jordan Ntunga- Anto In Viva Riva
Ayomide Abatti- Young Kashi In Maami
Benjamin Abemigisha- Zebu In Zebu And The Photofish
Shantel Mwabi- Bupe In Suwi

Best Young Actor

Yves Dusenge (Child Soldier) And Roger Nsengiyumua (Footballer) – Africa United
Samson Odhiambo And Leila Dayan Opou – Soul Boy
Edward Kagutuzi – Mirror Boy
Donovan Adams – Shirley Adams
Junior Singo – Hopeville

Best Actor In Supporting Role

Osita Iheme – Mirror Boy
Hoji Fortuna – Viva Riva
Mpilo Vusi Kunene – A Small Town Called Descent
John Dumelo – A Private Storm
Desmond Dube- Hopeville

Best Actress In Supporting Role

Mary Twala – Hopeville
Joyce Ntalabe – The Rivaling Shadow
Marlene Longage- Viva Riva
Tina Mba -Tango With Me
Yvonne Okoro – Pool Party

Best Actor In Leading Role
Themba Ndaba – Hopeville
Patsha Bay -Viva Riva
Jimmy Jean-Louis – Sinking Sands
Ekon Blankson – Checkmate
Antar Laniyan – Yemoja
Majid Michel – Pool Party

Best Actress In Leading Role
Idiat Shobande -Aramotu
Omoni Oboli- Anchor Baby
Manie Malone – Viva Riva
Ama K. Abebrese- Sinking Sands
Denise Newman -Shirley Adams
Genevieve Nnaji – Tango With Me

Best Director

Soul Boy – Hawa Essuman
Shirley Adams – Oliver Hermanus
Viva Riva – Djo Tunda Wa Munga
Aramotu – Niji Akanni
A Small Town Called Descent – Jahmail. X. T Qubeka
Sinking Sands – Leila Djansi

Best Film
Viva Riva – Djo Tunda Wa Munga (Congo)
Sinking Sands – Leila Djansi (Ghana)
Aramotu – Niji Akanni (Nigeria)
Soul Boy – Hawa Essuman (Kenya)
Hopeville – John Trengove (South Africa)
A Small Town Called Descent – Jahmil X.T Qubeka (South Africa)