Keith Shiri, a Zimbabwean-born international film curator and programme advisor currently residing in the UK, has been reappointed by the Board of the Africa Film Academy (AFA), the organisation behind the Africa Movie Academy Awards, also known as AMAA, as President of the Jury for the 19th edition of the top and most prestigious film award in Africa.
The 12-person board of international jurors for the prizes in 2022 was presided over by Shiri, a consultant to various international film festivals.
The well-traveled and well-known film programmer is anticipated to again serve as the AMAA Jury’s leader in selecting nominations and ultimate winners in the 26 categories of the 2023 AMAAs, which are set to take place in Lagos in October.
Filmmaker John Akomfrah, filmmaker Berni Goldblat, ambassador and former minister of culture for Burkina Faso Phillipe Savadego, and international film curator and programmer for the Berlin International Film Festival Dorothee Wenner are all members of the AMAA jury. Others include Dr. Shaibu Husseini, the executive director of the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) in Los Angeles, Charles Brunnet, an award-winning filmmaker, and Hon. Steve Ayorinde, a journalist, author, and former commissioner of culture in the state of Lagos. Asentewa Olatunji, Professor Hyginus Ekwuazi, who served as the former managing director of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), and Ayoku Babu are co-founders of PAFF.
“We are very excited to welcome Keith Shiri back as President of Jury for 2023. AMAA has a tradition where Jurors have an opportunity to preside over the jury for two editions running. Recall that Hon. Steve Ayorinde was jury President for 2020 and 2021 edition. So we are sustaining that tradition by further extending the tenure of Keith Shiri who is a founding juror at the AMAA and a promoter of African art and film as the president of the AMAA 2023 Jury,” said Raymond Anyiam-Osigwe, on behalf of the Africa Film Academy.
He also said “Keith’s experience and vast knowledge of African Films which has spanned over 3 decades coupled with his expertise which has seen him serve in different international organizations made him a great fit for this position. We look forward to continuing our strong ties with the board of jurors at the academy under his leadership as President of the Jury.”
In response to the news of his reappointment, Shiri, who is currently curating the Icons of the Africa Centre Series for the illustrious London-based cultural institution, thanked the AFA board for the honour but expressed sadness that he will be presiding over a jury in the first edition without the founder and CEO Peace Anyiam-Osigwe. Said Shiri ‘ I don’t know what to say but of course it is rather sad to preside over this first edition without our CEO, founder and sister Peace Ogechi Marie Anyiam-Osigwe. But we have an award to deliver and deliver we must”.
Shiri was a member of the Berlinale World Cinema Fund from 2004 to 2007 and a trainer for Esodoc/EU (European Social Documentary), a programme for documentary filmmakers. Shiri is currently a consultant on film business development for the International Trade Centre (ITC), an agency of the United Nations that is currently implementing an initiative to promote film exports from the Caribbean to the UK and European markets. He has served on the advisory board of the Focus Features Africa First scheme in New York, which assisted budding African filmmakers through its mentorship scheme, and as an expert advisor for the EU-ACP programme for the ACP cinema.
For this year’s award, there were over 368 submissions.
However, the selection committee, led by Dr. Shaibu Husseini, recommended 102 films from various genres to the AMAA jury for nominations. According to Shaibu, the Nominations will be revealed on September 20.