This Africa Month, will Netflix Have a Double Celebration?

As it has been its tradition, Netflix is marking the month of May —  internationally known as Africa Month and dedicated to celebrating Africa and its rich cultures — with a variety of new and iconic African titles that showcase and celebrate the diversity of African storytelling to its platform.

In recent times, Netflix’s relationship with the Nigerian film industry has deepened. With many filmmakers securing deals and licensing their works to the streamer, more and more Nollywood content is finding lofty spaces in Netflix’s rich vault.

By providing a platform for African voices to be heard and celebrated, Netflix is helping to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions about Africa and its people and to showcase the diversity and richness of African cultures and experiences.

The Africa Month lineup features titles from Nigeria to South Africa, including the second season of ‘Young, Famous and African,’— a reality TV series that features a star-studded pan-African cast like Khanyi Mbau and Annie Macaulay-Idibia — ‘Ile Owo,’ and the recently-launched pan-African short film series, ‘African Folktales, Reimagined.’ This series features stories from six African countries including Uganda, Tanzania, Mauritania, Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya.

However, Africa Month may bring a double celebration to the streamer’s platform. Netflix’s original film ‘Aníkúlápó’  and Netflix’s production ‘Shanty Town’ received the highest nominations of the awards with 16 and 11 nominations respectively.

In its long history with awards internationally, Netflix is known for scooping the highest number of nominations but this does not always guarantee wins. For instance, it dominated the 2021 Oscars with 36 nominations but only won seven. This year, it received 16 nominations and recorded only six wins.

Of these nominations, Netflix is yet to win a Best Picture at the Oscars. Its biggest wins have been in the Best Director category. Will the tide change in the Nigerian film scene? As the AMVCA is regarded as Nigeria’s own Oscars, a win for Netflix at this prestigious event would be significant for the Nigerian film industry and a big win for the streaming giant.

The AMVCA, which stands for Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, is an annual awards ceremony that celebrates excellence in African film and television. Established in 2013, the awards have become one of the most prestigious and highly anticipated events in the African entertainment industry, with nominees and winners selected by a panel of industry experts and the public.

The highly praised Kunle Afolayan’s film ‘Aníkúlápó’ is competing in the Best Movie West Africa, Best Actress in a Drama, Best Director and Best Overall Movie and among others. It will be a big win for the streamer if it lands a win in the Best Overall Movie or/and Best Director categories.

‘Shanty Town’ also shines bright in the Best Director, Best Actress in a Drama and Best Director categories among others.

Regardless of the outcome on May 20, when the awards ceremony takes place, Netflix has much to celebrate this Africa Month. By investing in African content and showcasing African storytelling to a global audience, Netflix is playing a significant role in promoting African cultures and perspectives to the world.