Run Baby Run Wins African Movie Academy Awards

Jackie Appiah with costumier Samira Yakubu and actor Fritz Baffuor

'Run Baby Run', the movie that explored the growing menace of cocaine trafficking has won four awards at the just ended African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in Nigeria.

Produced and directed by Emmanuel Apea Jnr of Revele Films, the movie took 'Best Director'; Emmanuel Apea Jnr, 'Best Screenplay' – Emmanuel Apea Jnr and John Apea, 'Best Child Actor'- Evelyn Addo who plays 'Nina' and 'Best Film'.

According to John Apea who received the awards and also played the lead role in Run Baby Run, the first part of the awards night was hosted by Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme (Aki and Pawpaw) and the second part by Ramsey Noah and Stephanie Okereke.

Accompanied by Jackie Appiah, Kofi Bucknor, Nadia Buari, Majid Michel, Fritz Baffour among others, John Apea said he was surprised when the awards were announced.

“I believe Run Baby Run was very good and deserved to win but I thought a lot of red tape would get in the way. As I heard Emmanuel Apea — Best Director-Run Baby Run, Emmanuel Apea and John Apea-Best Original Screenplay-Run Baby Run, Best Picture-Run Baby Run, I couldn't even get up to go and get the awards for myself and on behalf of Emmanuel and Evelyn especially when Hollywood actress, Angela Basset was the one giving it.

“As I looked into the crowd, I could see the jury members clapping and we actually had a standing ovation. The atmosphere was impeccable-extremely glamourous and well co-ordinated.

“The place was absolutely electric charged though the look on peoples faces showed that they were in shock that a film from Ghana which is considered as backward in filmmaking had won four awards”, he added.

He said Joyce Mensah and Samira Yakubu were awarded for Best Make Up and Best Costume respectively for Venus Films' Princess Tyra. “This is an indication that Ghana is a force to be reckoned with in African and World Cinema”, he said.

The night was not just for the receipt of awards. Music was provided by P-Square and comedy from Klint Da Drunk.

Nollywood stars that graced the occasion were Stephanie Okereke, Stella Damascus-Aboderin, Kate Henshaw-Nuttal, Nkem Owoh, Kanayo O Kanayo, Saint Obi, Ramsey Noah, Mike Ezuronye, Rita Dominic, Ireti Doyle, Joke Silva among others.
At the heel of this great success is the premiering of the latest movie from Revele, Fire for Fire starring local comic, Agya Koo. Delving into the universal issue of polygamy, succession and rivalry.

Emma Apea Jnr once again uses exceptional cinematography to portray a story that fuses drama, comedy, action, love, romance, and yes, witchcraft!

But see Fire for Fire, and you'll find that even a subject like witchcraft, can be treated with some measure of taste.

With the production of this movie, which is rendered in Twi with English subtitles, Revele Films has just taken 'local movies' to the next level.

Scene after scene portrays a trajectory of narrative using techniques that convey the movies messages in a most distinct manner.

The film opens with a star studded event at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi tonight.

Run Baby Run, on the other hand is entirely in English, and stars John Apea with Kofi Bucknor, Kojo Dadson and Rama Brew. It traces the pursuit of a young student, who chancing on a stash of cocaine when they inadvertently picked the wrong bag during his little sister's visit to London, managed to sell the loot.

With his spending spree cut short because the real owners tracked him down, the film's pace takes a dramatic turn that sent both actors and audience through a roller coaster dash, from the backstreets of London in England, to Accra and Tamale in Ghana. It is now available on DVD.

A master storyteller, Emmanuel, together with his wife Julia, and younger brother John, have been bringing excitement and energy onto the entertainment scene since Revele Films, their production company, began operations in 2003.

Beginning with the TV series Home Sweet Home featuring the antics of the 'Sarpong' family home, which extended into feature film Run Baby Run, they followed up in 2004 with Hotel St James.

Prior to that, however, the director of Revele Films, Emmanuel Apea Jnr brought us the hilarious TV series Taxi Driver in 1998 where he introduced us to characters like TT, Master Richard, Papa Nii and Oesophagus.