Stars of the local film industry illuminated Kisumu Saturday night for the annual Riverwood Academy Awards.
The fete at the Acacia Hotel marked the first time the awards were being hosted outside Nairobi since inception.
Celebrating the best in the film industry, the attendees donned the best in their closet, looking to outdo one another.
Among those feted was pioneer TV actress Mary Kabele aka Mama Kayai who got inducted in the Riverwood Awards Hall of Fame, also known as the Grand Warrior award.
Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) boss Dr Ezekiel Mutua announced that KFCB would honour her by naming a section of the Kenya Cinema building in Nairobi after her and that a fund would be availed to help her start and run a business.
Maryanne Nungo was awarded Best Actress in a series, Anthony Ndung’u Best Film Actor in ‘Maria’ and Victor Gatonye Best director award.
Seredo 2 won the Best vernacular film and the Best original Score. Kamau Wandung’u and Wairure Njeru won The Best Script.
‘The Editor’ by Mark Maina won all the three awards it had been nominated for, which are Best Cinematography, Best Editor and Best Short Film. Likarion Wainaina won the Best Director and Best Feature ‘Supa Modo’.
Peter Kawa won Best Series Actor and The Best TV Series for ‘Fihi’. Lulu Wilson was announced the Best Supporting Actress in a series, and David Konna the Best Supporting Actor in TV Series.
Adelyne Wairimu was the Best Supporting Actress in a Film and Peter Kinyua the Best Supporting Actor in a Film. Zuhra Kinyanjui was declared Best Actress in Film.
While at the ceremony, Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) chairperson Ronnie Osumba announced that film makers in Kisumu would have access of up to Sh2 million.
He said they would work with the KFCB to fund the county’s film industry.
Ezekiel Mutua said they would guarantee that the loans from YEDF are available to all counties. He pledged that KFCB would work with film makers.
-sde.co.ke
