Radio & TV

Stan Nze, Osas Ighodaro, Funke Akindele, and more win at 8th Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards

Published

1 year ago

May 15, 2022

The 8th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) has been held in Lagos, Nigeria with some of the award’s favourite stars back to winning ways, as well as many first time winners such as Stan Nze and Osas Ighodaro.

The awards ceremony took place at the Eko Hotels & Suites.

Check out the full list of winners below:

Best Actress in A Comedy or TV series – Funke Akindele (Omo Ghetto: The Saga)

Best Actor in Comedy in movie or TV series – Broda Shaggi/Samuel Perry (Dwindle)

Best Actress in Supporting Role – Omowunmi Dada

Best Actor in Supporting Role – Odunlade Adekola (Jankariwo)

Best Actress in Drama – Osas Ighodaro (Rattlesnake – The Ahanna Story)

Best Actor in Drama – Stan Nze (Rattlesnake)

Best Short Film or Online Video – Taiwo Ogunnimo (I Am the Prostitute Mama Described)

Best Indigenous Language – Yoruba – David Akande, Demola Yusuf and Edgard Leroy (Alaise)

Best Indigenous Language – Hausa – Rogers Ofime (Voiceless) – Uche Nnanna Maduka (Nne-Ka)

Best Indigenous Language – Swahili – Obambo (Freddy Feruzi)

Best Art Director – Tunji Afolayan (Amina)

Best Costume Designer – Millicent T. Jack (Amina)

Best Lighting Designer – Mathew Yusuf (Nneka the Pretty Serpent)

Best Picture Editor – Tunde Apalowo (For Maria Ebun Pataki)

Best Sound Editor – Jim Lively and James Nelson (Amina)

Best Sound Track – Pascal Aka And Raquel (Gold Coast Lounge)

Best Make-up Artist – Balogun Abiodun Omo Ghetto (The Sage)

Best Writer in a movie of TV series – Manie Oiseomaye, Donald Tombia and Biodun Stephen (Introducing the Kujus’)

Best Cinematographer – Muhammed Atta Ahmed (Rattlesnake – The Ahanna Story)

Best Movie Southern Africa – Dantagos Jimmy-Melani (Hairareb)

Best Movie East Africa – Morocco Omari (The Girl in The Yellow Jumper)

Best Movie West Africa – Collision Course (Bolanle Austen-Peter and Joseph Umoibom)

Overall Best Movie – Amina by Izu Ojukwu and Okey Ogunjiofor

Best Director – Ramsey Nouah (Rattlesnake – The Ahanna Story)

Best Documentary – Saitabao Kaiyare, Mumo Liku, Elena Schilling, Daniella Fritz, Ann Katrina Boberg (If Objects Could Speak)

Best Online Social Content Creator – Oga Sabinus (Mr Funny)

Best Africa Magic Original Drama Series – Dimbo Atiya (Rishante)

Best Africa Magic Original Comedy Series – Rogers Ofime (The Johnsons)

Special Recognition Award – TINSEL

Best Television Series: Drama or Comedy – Rogers Ofime

The ‘Industry Merit’ Award – Taiwo Ajayi Lycett

Multichoice Talent Factory – Daisy Masembe (ENGAITO).

Best Dressed Male powered by Amstel Malta – Denola Grey.

Best Dressed Female powered by Amstel Malta – Osas Ighodaro.

Trailblazer Prize powered by Amstel Malta – Teniola Aladese.

Radio & TV

Stream all the action at the 2023 Roland Garros live on Showmax Pro

Published

2 days ago

May 26, 2023

Ameyaw Debrah

The road to Roland-Garros 2023 is over and it’s time for the world’s best to shine on the clay-court. The much awaited 2023 French Open commences at Roland Garros in Paris from Sunday, 28th May 2023, and with the tournament set to air live on Showmax Pro, tennis fans will be able to catch all the action live until the 11th June 2023.

Without defending champion Rafael Nadal, this year will be the first since 1998 that has not featured either Nadal or the now retired Roger Federer. However, this year’s men’s field is led by World number 1 and the reigning US Open Champion, Carlos Alcaraz, who looks to be the future heir to the men’s tennis throne post the dominant of era of the big three in Nadal, Federer and Djokovic. Nobody heads into the major with more championships than 22-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, you cannot simply write him off from winning a record 23rd grand slam. Other eyes will be the rest of the top seeds in Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Danish breakout star Holger Rune.

World number one and reigning champion, Iga Swiatek is a three-time major winner after capturing the 2020 and 2022 French Opens as well as the 2022 US Open. Swiatek aims to become the first back-to-back women’s champion at the major in 16 years since Justine Henin won three in a row from 2005 – 2007. She is joined by the likes of 2021 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, as well as top-10 seed like Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Caroline Garcia, Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari, Dari Kasatkina and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.

While a lot of the stars are chasing historic and personal accomplishments it cannot be predicted who will take the crown and carve their names in Roland Garros history, being on top of your game, laser focus, soft hands at the net, coupled with a Teflon temperament, will be the ultimate prerequisite for those in line for the title.

All the action from the much-anticipated major can be live streamed and enjoyed by Showmax Pro Subscribers in ROA excluding those in South Africa, Lesotho and Mauritius.

Radio & TV

Catch the NBA Finals on ESPN on DStv & GOtv customers

Published

2 days ago

May 26, 2023

Ameyaw Debrah

Viewers on DStv and GOtv can look forward to greater access to the ESPN and ESPN 2 channels, thanks to an ‘Open Window’ from MultiChoice. From 31 May to 3 July, more customers on DStv and GOtv will be able to revel in the thrills and excitement of ESPN’s incredible sporting coverage, in particular the National Basketball Association (NBA).

ESPN, which is usually only available on DStv Family and up & GOtv Max and up, will be available from the Access and Plus packages respectively. ESPN 2, which is usually only available to customers on DStv Compact Plus and up, will be available on DStv Compact and GOtv Supa.

This means more sporting enthusiasts will be able to take in top-class football from Major League Soccer (MLS), the ‘ping’ of bat striking ball in Major League Baseball (MLB) and the brutality of the XFL (American Football) and the National Rugby League (NRL) from Australia and New Zealand.

In addition, top-class magazine shows such as ‘NBA Today’, ‘NFL Live’, ‘Pardon the Interruption’, ‘ESPN FC’ and ‘SportsCenter’ provide the widest coverage and most entertaining opinions on a huge range of sports.

But the crown in the jewel for this Open Window will be the NBA Championship Finals, which begin on the morning of Friday 2 June and can extend as far as 18 June if the series goes all seven games.

The Conference Finals (Championship semifinals) are underway, with the East seeing the Miami Heat take on the Boston Celtics, while the West pits the Los Angeles Lakers against the Denver Nuggets.

The Nuggets defeated the Phoenix Suns 4-2 in their Conference semi-final series, while the Lakers ended the reign of the defending champions, the Golden State Warriors, with a 4-2 win in their series.

The Lakers started the season with a 2-10 record in their first 12 games, but a mid-season roster overhaul has sparked a brilliant run: “I felt like if we ever had an opportunity to upgrade our roster and put some more balance around myself and [Anthony Davis], I felt like we could make a run,” said star man LeBron James.

“I just wanted to come in and make some plays and be efficient and defend at a high level and help [Davis] rebound. Help our team make winning plays. And I was able to make a few of them.”

In the East, the Heat will face a stiff test against a Celtics team which is hungry to make up for last season’s Championship Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors, though key player Jimmy Butler is confident.

“We’re one step closer to our goal,” said Butler. “We already knew what we were capable of from the jump, I’m talking about the beginning of the season. We got eight more to get. I always say we’re always going to be in this thing together. So proud of all of my guys for playing as hard as we did today and like I said, we got eight more.”

DStv and GOtv are your home of the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. Visit www.dstv.com and www.gotvafrica.com to subscribe or upgrade and join in on the sporting excitement. And while you’re on the move, you can stream the action on the DStv App.

Radio & TV

Africa Day: Award-winning titles to stream from across the continent, from Njoro wa Uba to Crime and Justice Lagos

Published

3 days ago

May 25, 2023

Ameyaw Debrah

Africa Day is a day to celebrate unity in the continent. It’s also a time to celebrate the diversity of our cultures and the stories that bring us together. As we commemorate this day, stream these awarding-winning stories from across the continent on Showmax.

Njoro wa Uba | Comedy | Kenya

A first-time nominee at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs), Njoro wa Uba won Best Original Comedy at the award ceremony held in Lagos, giving Kenya its first-ever award in this category.

The Kenyan comedy series follows Joe Kinyua in the titular role of Njoro, a man who navigates the unpredictable taxi business in Nairobi while also dealing with drama in his personal life.

Now in its thirteenth season, Njoro wa Uba has been praised by fans as the most relatable Kenyan comedy and the most realistic portrayal of what taxi drivers in Nairobi go through.

“Njoro’s life is a reflection of our struggles. We struggle with love, finances, injustice, friendships, insecurities, basically everything. But even at our lowest, as Kenyans, we have a way of finding humour in most situations. It is important to have our audience relate with Njoro’s experiences, but also to find a light moment where they could also find some humour in their own situations,” says producer Lucy Mwangi (Auntie Boss, Varshita).

From Kenya, also stream AMVCA-nominated titles for Best TV Series nominees County 49 and Single Kiasi S1-2; Best Original Telenovela nominee Salem;and Best Original Drama nominee Pete.

Crime and Justice Lagos | Police procedural | Nigeria

Trailer: https://youtu.be/DA2HKQM-g1Y

Crime and Justice Lagos won two of the awards it was nominated for at the 2023 AMVCAs on Saturday – Best TV Series and Best Picture Editor.

Adapted from Kenya’s Crime and Justice, Crime and Justice Lagos stars Folu Storms as Superintendent Kelechi ‘KC’ Farasin and Jammal Ibrahim as Superintendent Danladi Dikko, lead detectives at the Serious and Special Crimes Unit (SSCU).

Set against the backdrop of the biggest and most densely populated city in Africa, the police procedural explores the activities of the elite detective team at the fictional SSCU as they investigate various crimes across Lagos, from child kidnappings to ritual murders.

More Nigerian winners at 2023 AMVCAs to stream on Showmax include The Real Housewives of Lagos for Best Costume Designer and Ricordi for Best Original Drama, and nominees like the psychological thriller Diiche, the drama series Flawsome, and the telenovela Wura.

Mpali | Telenovela | Zambia

Winner of Best Original Telenovela at 2023 AMVCAs, Zambian telenovela Mpali is a story that revolves around a rich polygamist named Nguzu who has six wives. His home appears to be peaceful until he marries another woman named Tamara, his sixth and youngest wife. Nguzu’s wives are taken by surprise when Zungu introduces them to Tamara, and all hell starts to break loose.

Reyka | Crime drama | South Africa

Trailer: https://youtu.be/6wj0pJ0M6cs

A 2022 International Emmy nominee for Best TV Drama and Best Actress (for lead Kim Engelbrecht), South African crime drama Reyka is the first African drama series to be nominated for the award in more than a decade. And only the third ever, after Home Affairs in 2007 and 2008, and Sokhulu and Partners in 2009.

The series follows criminal profiler Reyka Gama (Engelbrecht) as she investigates a string of brutal murders committed by a serial killer in the sugar cane fields of KwaZulu-Natal.

At the 2022 SAFTAs (South African Film and Television Awards), Reyka won Best Actress in a TV Drama for Engelbrecht, Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Achievement in Scriptwriting and Best Achievement in Directing.

Also stream more SAFTA-winning South African titles like the psychological thriller DAM, the telenovela The Wife S1-3, and winner of Best Made for TV Documentary Devilsdorp, as well as the crime series Donkerbos and Recipes for Love and Murder – which both cracked Berlinale Series Market Selects, described as being for “curated series with high market potential.”

Honourable mention:

The Billionaire’s Wife | Drama | Ghana

Trailer: https://youtu.be/lsYZ_ztmbMY

Adepa (newcomer Andriana Akua Amegbor) is a 19-year-old woman from the slums of Ashaiman who marries an old billionaire (Kingsley Yamoah) with the aim of turning her fortunes around, only to find out that being a billionaire’s wife is the toughest thing she’s ever done.

Directed and produced respectively by Ad-Visors duo Danny Adotey and Collins Amlalo, The Billionaire’s Wife is now the most-watched title in history on Showmax in Ghana, having topped the charts in Ghana every week during its run.

Also stream more 2023 AMVCA-nominated titles like Best TV Drama nominees Accra Medic, Dirty Laundry and To Have and To Hold; Best Telenovela nominee Dede; and Best Comedy nominees RSM and Co-Habits.

Radio & TV

Rosemary’s Hitlist, a true-crime docu-series about cop-turned-serial-killer Rosemary Ndlovu, is coming to Showmax

Published

6 days ago

May 22, 2023

Ameyaw Debrah

Showmax has just dropped the trailer for Rosemary’s Hitlist, a Showmax Original true-crime documentary series about cop-turned-serial-killer Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu. (more…)

Listen

Wande Coal joins Africa Now Radio this Friday on Apple Music 1

Published

2 weeks ago

May 11, 2023

Ameyaw Debrah

This Week’s Episode Features a Conversation With Wande Coal the 5 Hottest Tracks of the Week, Africa Rising and Dadaboy Ehiz’s Favourite Track of the Week! (more…)