In his steadfast pursuit to break into a continental force, Loukman Ali has won two accolades at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award (AMVCAs), becoming the Ugandan filmmaker with the most AMVCA wins.
He won Best Director and Best Cinematographer for Brotherhood, a 2022 Nigerian crime-action thriller that tells a story of two brothers who fall on opposite sides of the law after years of fighting to survive on the streets of Lagos. Shot in Lagos, Nigeria, the film was produced by Nigerian writer, director and producer, Jade Osiberu.
A short film, Sixteen Rounds, that he directed had also been nominated for Best Short Film.
He has previously shared that following the release of The Girl in the Yellow Jumper premiered on Netflix, Jade reached out to him and shared a script (for Brotherhood) with him and he was sold.
“It (script) had a lot of crazy things and I love crazy things. So the moment I saw that, I was like ‘Yeah, I’m in. Let’s do it’ I figured it was the right opportunity for us to show the world what we can do together,” Loukman told Nigerian media during the shooting of the project.
On the project, Loukman was Director, Director of Photography and Colorist.
According to the AMVCA citation, he won the accolade for Best Cinematographer for his exceptional eye for capturing breathtaking visuals and masterful composition.
It is the second time (in a row) that Loukman is winning the prestigious AMVCA award.
Last year, his film, The Girl in The Yellow Jumper won Best Film (East Africa) making it Uganda’s first AMVCA win in 9 years.
So far, only two Ugandans – Loukman and Mathew Nabwiso – have won an AMVCA award. Nabwiso won Uganda’s very first back in 2013 for Best Supporting Actor In A Drama (A Good Catholic Girl).
Loukman has alwayd been drawn towards the action genre.
He was among the final 6 filmmakers selected for the Netflix-UNESCO short film competition ‘African Folktales, Reimagined’. The outcome of this was Loukman’s Katera of the Punishment Island, which premiered on Netflix in March. Uganda’s only two films on Netflix are both credited to him.
His win as a result of Brotherhood speaks to the power in collaboration. But it also reaffirms the fact that his bias towards action-themed projects – which majority of the filmmakers in Uganda tend to sideline – could have more fruits to bear for him.
He has previously told Plugged that for filmmakers in Uganda to box themselves artistically is a major hindrance to how far Uganda can go in storytelling.
“I try to make a cowboy film and people are lecturing me about how I can’t make that because I’m Ugandan. Hollywood will make an alien film and everyone will welcome it. They will make a Wakanda film about Africa and everyone will welcome it. But I dare make something that’s not Ugandan, and people will attack me for ‘doing other people’s cultures’,” Loukman, 33, said in an interview with Plugged upon winning three accolades – Best Short Film (Sixteen Rounds), Best Editor (The Girl in the Yellow Jumper) and Best Visual Effects (The Girl in the Yellow Jumper).
Adding; “I think that’s probably why we are still where we are. We think that there’s a line you must not cross. And this limits you creatively. Imagine if you were told that if you are casting someone who is sick, you must get an actual sick person. Then you are not acting.”
This year, Uganda had the highest nominations it has ever got in the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs).
Considered the most prestigious awards in African film and television, the AMVCAs recognize and celebrate the best talent in the industry, by giving actors and other professionals the platform to showcase their skills and get the recognition they rightfully deserve.
Ugandan stories and storytellers got 17 nominations across several categories including Best Director and Best Overall Film Africa. A significant improvement compared to last year when Uganda got only 4 nominations and 2018 when the country had 8 nominations in the AMVCAs.
