On Saturday 4th March 2017, the prestigious Eko Hotel & Conference Center in Lagos, Nigeria played host to the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA). This event is Africa’s most anticipated award ceremony in the movie industry and is popularly referred to as the ‘African Oscars’.
Weeks before the event, the lists of Nominees were released in several categories, celebrating Film and TV Industry talent in Africa.
Thousands of voters across Africa and beyond voted for their favourite actors, actresses, movies, TV shows, filmmakers and technicians in the build up to the event, causing a lot of frenzy and speculation over who will cart away the highly coveted awards.
The GAC Motor Sponsorship of the ceremony with two luxury cars added much expectation to the event and generated huge online & social media frenzy among fans who wanted their favorite stars to win the cars.
The day began with a lot of excitement as hundreds of reporters, photographers and TV hosts flocked to the venue to provide live updates of the awards to their audiences. The Red Carpet kicked off at about 4pm with live interviews by leading TV stations such as DSTV Multichoice and many more. The guests did not disappoint as they stepped out in their best and stylish looks, garnering great reviews from style watchers across Africa.
The highlight of the red carpet was the section where the luxury GS4 was displayed as guests scrambled to take selfies with the car also known as “Carfies”. It was a truly exciting moment as Nigerians got to touch and see up close the car of the year, whose elegant features has been on the lips of all automobile lovers since its launch in Lagos, Nigeria in December 2016.
After an energetic performance by Africa’s music icon, Timi Dakolo, the Award Ceremony began inside the elegant venue by 7pm. Awards were presented in different categories to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions made by Pan African filmmakers, actors and technicians and to laud the success of the continent’s film & television industries.
For a few years now, GAC Motors has been in the forefront, supporting Nigeria’s Creative Industry in generous measures. In 2016, GAC Motor gave out two GS5 Trumpchi cars to winners at the AMVCA. Star actress and filmmaker Stephanie Linus who won the Best Overall Movie in Africa Award was one of the lucky winners. Her advocacy movie on the rights of the Girl Child and Obstetric Fistula, DRY, has won awards across the world and has been screened in several International Film Festivals including the Pan African Film Festival, USA and the Montreal International Black Film Festival, Canada. A young, highly talented and versatile actress Kemi Lala Akindoju was the second winner in 2016. She won the Trailblazer Award which is an award presented to a talented star who made a good impact within a short time in his or her acting career. In the same year, GAC Motor presented a cheque of One Million Naira to one of Africa’s most celebrated filmmakers, Kunle Afolayan during the launch of the GS4 in December. This was to encourage his amazing productions which has raised the bar for filmmaking in Africa.
The moment everyone was waiting for came when Chief Diana Chan and Kemi Lala Akindoju climbed the stage to present the Trailblazer Award. It was won by Somkele Idhalama, a beautiful and delectable actress who gave stellar performances in several big screen productions since her emergence into acting. In 2016, she was selected to attend the Toronto International Film Festival as the first female international TIFF Rising Star.
The second car presentation marked the highlight of the Award Ceremony. A darling of the screen, legendary comic actor and industry veteran, Chika Okpala won the AMVCA Industry Merit Award. He is fondly remembered for his role in the popular sitcom, New Masquerade, that ruled the Nigerian airwaves in the 80s and mid 90s. His acting career, spanning over 30 years, has continued to wax stronger.
While presenting the awards, Chief Diana Chan congratulated the two talented and creative people who have once again set new standards in their chosen careers. She assured Nigerians that GAC Motor cars were truly designed for them.
“At GAC Motor, we design cars with people like you in mind; cars that speaks of style, creativity and excellence. Just like Arts is a universal language, our cars which are designed with Asian and European technology speaks your language too.”
In her remarks, she also promised GAC Motor’s unrelenting support of the Nigerian Creative Industry and assured the winners of an exceptional experience with their cars.
“I am a Nigerian at heart and I have followed the growth of Nollywood over the years and I must say that I am very impressed with the progress of the industry. We at GAC Motors take it as a personal cause to support people like you who are creative and exceptional and we will continue to do so in every way I can.”
“I say a big congratulations to the two winners here today. You are truly stars and believe me, you will shine even more brightly by the time you start to enjoy your riding experience with GAC Motor cars.”
GAC Motor sponsored the AMVCA 2017 with two cars: the luxury SUV, GS4 and the classic sedan, GA3. This is the highest value of sponsorship by a single company to the meritorious award.
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