Special Movie Awards 2016 was successfully held at Coco Ocean Resort and Spa on the 30^th of September 2016. The Event was graced by Government Heads and Delegates members of the diplomatic corp.

Traditional Rulers and Religious Bodies inclusively the Nominees, Film Makers and people from different respective Entertainment Arena and our Special Guest of Honour Collins Archie Pearce from UK, Desmond Finney from Sierra Leone, Kensteve Anuka form Nigeria, Chibuzor and Awal form South Africa. Out of 45 Nominees, 15 emerged the winners who received crystal glass trophies. Certificates were issued to Cooperate Organizations, the members of the committee for SMA 216 and Film makers who submitted their Films for the awards. The biggest Award f the Night, Grand Patron went to Mr. President His Excellency Sheikh Prof. Alh. Dr. Yayha A.J.J Jammeh Babli Mansa for his unrelenting efforts and Inestimable contributions to the growth of The Gambia Film Industry received on his behalf by The Honourable Minister of Culture and Tourism, Hon. Benjamin Roberts.

Below are the winners of the Special Movie Awards (SMA) 2016 Maiden Edition.

VOTE OF THANKS

On behalf of Afrinity Productions and the Special Movie Award Committee, I am most grateful to Almighty God for making this day a reality. Special Thanks to his Excellency The President of The Republic of The Gambia Sheikh Prof. Alh. Dr. Yayha A.J.J Jammeh Babli Mansa, Minster Benjamin Robert, Mr. Baba M. Ceesay, Government Heads and Delegates members of the diplomatic corp., Traditional Rulers and Religious Bodies.

Thank You for gracing the special Movie Award 2016 edition and making it a successful event. We appreciate your various contributions and promise to uphold the objectives of the award in subsequent editions.

We shall continue to celebrate excellence in Gambian Films ad Film Makers. This maiden edition is a success story because of the numerous efforts put together by film makers, individuals, Cooperate organizations and interest groups.

Special thanks goes to National Centre for Arts and Culture, Gambia Union of Theatre, Film Producers Association of the Gambia, Screen Actors Guild of The Gambia and all other film related organizations.

Appreciation goes to Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS), Print Media Houses and Radio Stations for their immense publicity drive. Finally, I appreciate my wife and family for the support and SMA Committee for their immense contributions and selfless efforts put together to make this a dream come true. Bravo!!!

The much awaited event of the year, the Special Movies Award is just a week away happening live at Coco Ocean Resort & Spa, Senegambia, The Gambia on 30th September, 2016. And guess what! More Big-Screen Stars have confirmed their attendance.

Awal Abdulfatai Rahmat is a dynamic, proactive and spontaneously creative young man who in his early 30’s has worthwhile experience in TV content management, media business development and media marketing communications with prowess in creating bespoke entertaining, exciting and engaging TV and radio contents.

Read: All Your Favorite Big-Screen Stars At The Special Movies Award (SMA) 2016 (Photos)

He gained his experience in media business by working with Digital Interactive Media Limited; producers of The Next Movie Star, Supermom Reality TV show, Excite on TV, Dormitory 8, Mama Bomboy and many other brands. He has worked in various capacities in the media shop as Head of Programmes, Head, Operations and Projects, Group Head, Business Development, Producer, Associate Producer, and also Project Executive in his early days in Media business. He has also represented the company in top executive meetings, media briefings, award events and forums.

Awal Abdulfatai Rahmat

Awal has worked with renowned corporate clients and companies like Procter and Gamble (P&G), MTN Nigeria, Coca Cola Nigeria, Dufill Foods, Promasidor, Reckitt Benckiser, Glo, Airtel, Etisalat and many more. He has also worked with media agencies like Media Reach OMD, Media Perspectives, MediaShare, Mediacomm, StarcomMedia and more.

He pioneered creative ideas and initiatives like “The African Child and St. Valentine” Project 2009; a unique idea to touch the lives of African youths about the true perception of the Valentine’s Day. He also initiated “Touch A Life, Africa” a non-governmental movement in conjunction with House of Rahmah to give the helpless and less privilege the right to proper health and education by enrolling less privilege children to nursery schools, vocational classes and providing supports for them against malaria and typhoid fever.
“when it comes to dreams, one may falter but the ONLY way to fail is for one to abandon them”

Read: Special Movie Awards (SMA) 2016: Date And Venue Confirmed

He moved to South Africa in December 2013 to join, then Planet Radio TV (Planet TV) channel 328 on Dstv as Producer and Sponsorship Executive. A year later, he registered his company McAwal Concerns Productions in South Africa, an arm of McAwal Concerns Ventures Nigeria. The Company has been making films and producing TV contents for some African TV stations to mention: StarSat South Africa, AzamTV Tanzania, eTV South Africa, SwaziTV Swaziland, ZukuTV Kenya, and many more. They are the producers of BoomBox, Glamazons, Excite Zambezi, Ladies First (Femme Diaries), The Commune Drama Series, Studio1205, FreshOut, The Chronicles TV Series, and Descent; the movie.

Awal is vast in all sects of TV content Production and Management, creating entertaining programmes on various media platforms that will engage viewers to an experience. He has the prowess to simplified Production; Less production funds but best quality with world class standard, to produce Premium, exclusive, entertaining and engaging TV formats and contents with panache, World Class Station Identity and brand representation, create marketing communications ideas and formats for advertisers’ brand building communications, converge traditional and new media in production and TV projects, initiate and implement 360 degrees approach to TV content development, deployment and management and create exportable African Contents that will easily find the right markets within and beyond borders and many more.

He has bagged; B.A Hons English & Literature; University of Lagos 2006, Oracle Database Administration on Solaris OS NIIT, Lagos 2009/2010, Certificate of Participation 2012; Creative Tai-Chi [Art, Copy, Inspiration, Presentation & Strategy], Project Management & Business Analyses Certificate; ESI International UK 2013.

Awal Abdulfatai Rahmat
MD/CEO, McAwal Concerns Productions Ltd

Chibuzor Nwankwo

With over 10years experience in TV and film production, Chibuzor’s extensive and comprehensive hands-on production as well as content management had made him grow within the two giant production industries in Africa; Nigeria and South Africa.
After completing his certificate degree in Audio-Visual Communications at JB Casting Institute, he went further to study The Arts of TV & Digital Production, Advertising at AAA School of Advertising.

Read: Special Movie Awards (SMA) Releases Press Statement, Unleashes Lists Of Award Nominees (Photos)

Raised in a previously disadvantaged township in Nigeria, Chibuzor Nwankwo has a great appreciation for cultural diversity and struggle stories that Africa and the world has to offer. This breathes colour, life and true meaning into the creative briefs that he conceptualizes and stories he wishes to tell the rest of the world.

As the pioneer and principal of AQ Entertainment which is a registered film Production Company in South Africa, he has driven a pan African project entitled “Descent” which features Nollywood legend; Zack Orji and South Africa superstar Matt Stern. Under same umbrella, he has financed other pan African projects such as “The Chronicles” amongst others.

Chibuzor who happens to feature in some of this production has been able to breathe life into exciting TV projects across Africa. He is passionate and well equipped with the right mind to identifying African talent and promoting her culture and tradition.

Time: Red carpet begins 7.00pm

Venue: Coco Ocean Resort & Spa, Senegambia, The Gambia

For more enquiries please call +220 7007210 7294702 3702422 9218375 7541114 SMA celebrating excellence in films taking the Gambia films to the next level….

Be there and have fun!!!

Desmond Finney is a veteran multi – talented Sierraleone movie star. A graduate from Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone, Desmond Finney has been in the field of acting directing and producing spanning a period of 20 years.

He has appeared in over Forty African movies and was nominated Best Newcomer for the African Movie Awards ‘Zafaa’ in the United Kingdom ,Best supporting Actor by the Giama awards in Houston Texas and won Best Actor AWOL Sierra Leone .

He was also nominated as best actor for the ‘Ansev Movie Awards’ in Sierra Leone and his movie ‘Diamond Wahala’ has won two awards as best comedy at the Sierra Leone International Film Festival and the Ansev Movie Awards.

He has worked alongside industry greats like Desmond Elliot, Ramsey Noah, Rita Dominic, John Okafor( Mr Ibu),Mike Ezerounye, Morris K. Essay, Jimmy B ,Fatima Jabbi and many more shooting in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and The Gambia.

Collins Archie-Pearce a multi-award winning movie producer, actor, the founder / CEO of Archie-Pearce Production Ltd; was born in Freetown Sierra Leone, West Africa in the mid-sixties.

He was the first of three children and had spent the first 25 years of his life in Sierra Leone where he attended the Albert Academy and Fourah Bay College studying Economics.

He preceded to United Kingdom in 1991 and got married years after and blessed with three children and one grandchild.

He furthered his education at Croydon College where he studied Business Management and graduated in March 2008.

Presently Collins Archie-Pearce is also a Senior Manager at London Underground Ltd with twenty years of managerial experience heading the managers on the Bakerloo line.
Collins started his career as an actor in the late 70s during his secondary school days in Sierra Leone. And thereafter went to British Film Institute (BFI) to develop his acting & directing skills.
To his credit he has proudly produced several popular African films including: ‘Ibu in Sierra Leone’, ‘Devil in Freetown’, ‘I Can’t get you off my mind’, ‘Flight 442’
The British Expert and has himself featured in several Nollywood/ African Movies both here in the UK and abroad, including: Rubicon’, Amina’, Shameful Deceit’, Battered’,Ibu in Sierra Leone’

London na wa’, ‘The Soul’, ‘Otega and his Enemies’,‘The King Maker’, ‘Complicated’, ‘Broken’ Cross, ‘I can’t get you out of my mind’, National Virus’,The Devil in Freetown’,

Love counts’, ‘Enchained’, ‘Oxford Gardens’ The British Expert, Santana City, The Village Girl, Gilo and Sheena, etc.
He has also featured on national television in the UK for the past nine years, playing the role of a business tycoon in a TV drama/series titled ‘Everyday life’ (which was showing on four Sky Television channels in the UK).
Collins has also built a great portfolio managing the successful careers of top Nollywood actors including: Patience Ozorkwo, Desmond Elliott, Van Vicker, Mike Ezuroenye, Osita Iheme (Pawpaw), John Okafor (Mr Ibu), Kenneth Okonkwo, Chinere Wilfred, Alex Ekubo, Okey Bakasi, Lanre Balagun, Anthony Monjero, Victoria Inyama, Atto Erick, Joannes Maier, Ifunaya Igwe, Adaeze Ngozi, Chinwe Owoh, Bob Manuel, Charles Awurum and many more, as well as managing non-Nollywood actors including: Kao Denero, Desmond Finney, Martha Sesay, Christiana Kamara, Tyron Da Prince, Heaven Jay, LXG etc.

His achievements and recognition’s include:
1. Unsung Heroes Award 2013 by Calabash Magazine
2. Recognition Award for contribution to the African Film Industry in the UK 2013 by ZAFAA
3. Most impactful member 2011 by the Redeem Christian Church of God,Woolwich
4. Best Movie Premiere “Ibu in Sierra Leone” 2013 by Sierra Leone Excellence Awards;
5. Best Sierra Leone Film Producer 2014 by the Universal Achievement Awards;
6. Outstanding Contribution to Cinema by United Artist
7. Best Supporting Actor 2014 by AWOL.
8. Best Film Producer (UK) 2015 by Malisha Da Queen Foundation
9. Outstanding Support in the Film Industry by Malisha Da Queen Foundation.
10. Best Community Supporter by Malisha Da Queen Foundation.
11. Best Supporting Actor 2015 by BEFFTA Award.
12. Crowned, Diaspora Movie Ambassador by Diaspora Focus organisation, Sierra Leone.

Collins Archie-Pearce has a massive fan and a proven track record of doing things “bigger and better” each time. Few months ago, he was in Sierra Leone, Freetown to shoot blockbuster film titled The British Expert.
He was received with a rosy welcome by hundreds of entertainers right from Lungi International Airport; the fans printed hundreds of T-shirts with his picture in the front and a welcome note at the back and they also hired buses to rally the streets of Freetown with the Sierra Leonean icon and legend who has lifted the name of his country and put it on the world map in terms of film production and promotion.