The competition, launched in November 2012, aimed “to digitally showcase African cinema talent and provide a platform to foster the production of African content and make same available online.”
FCO said more than 500 entries were submitted for the competition from African filmmakers in 14 countries.
In the short film category, Dara Ju by Anthony Onah was judged the best, followed by The Promise by Akin Okunrinboye and To Serve with all our Strength by Ishaya Bako (HomeVida), which came second and third respectively.
For the documentary category, Hustle On A Mile by Bemigho Awala won the first prize followed by Soji Oyinsan II’s A short "DOCUMENTARY", which came second, and Black and Gold by Joseph Akwasi, in third.
The organizers said the entries went through several stages before their emergence as the winning entries.
“Following an initial screening that found only 214 eligible entries, an international panel of judges in the creative industries pruned it down to the best 10 films in both the Short and Documentary categories,” the organizers said in the statement.
The top three prize winners in both categories will receive prizes of US$25,000, US$10,000 and US$5,000 respectively, while the organisers will also be recognising winners in the fourth to tenth positions at the awards event.
“The winners in the 4th to 10th positions in both categories will receive US$500 each. The official awards presentation will take place at 6pm on Friday, March 22 at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos,” the organisers stated.
