The Nigerian movie industry has gone into mourning as the death of Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, the founder of Africa Movies Academy Award and Africa Film Academy was announced in the early hours of January 10, 2023.
The Nigerian filmmaker was one of the icons in the Nigerian movie industry, having impacted lots of lives through her work as a movie director, the founder of one of the most reputable award shows in Africa, as well as being the founder of a movie academy that teaches people to unlock their creative side.
The 53-year-old Nigerian filmmaker had a full resume when it comes to the Nigerian entertainment industry, with her work cutting across music and movies.
In a tribute to a true icon, we highlight the career, and life of Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, detailing her path in television and as a filmmaker.
Peace Anyiam-Osigwe’s career in television
With a degree in Law and Political Science from Oxford Brookes University, her career on television began with ‘Piece Off My Mind,’ which focused on people’s responses to societal topics that aren’t frequently covered by mainstream media.
Her talk show focused on themes of advocacy for people who society typically ignores or pays little attention to like issues surrounding child trafficking and women equality as areas of interest to her in film and television.
Also, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe was responsible for managing the popular Nigeria music duo, P Square in the early stage of their career.
Peace Anyiam-Osigwe’s impact in films
In 2005, she founded the Africa Film Academy – the governing body for the Africa Movie Academy Awards, as well as a training channel for youths across the country.
In 2022, the Africa Film Academy partnered with the Lagos State Government to train 600 youths in a six-week free intensive training on acting, art directing, light and lighting, and sound amongst many more.
In a statement, she was quoted stating that the Africa Film Academy has trained over 10,000 participants across different cities in Africa over two decades.
The Africa Movie Academy Awards on another hand has built a huge name for itself, known as one of the most prestigious award ceremonies in Africa. It is awarded annually to honor excellence among individuals working in the African film business or among non-African professionals who have made a contribution towards the growth of the industry.
So far, there have been 18 editions of the Africa Movie Academy Awards, all aimed at honouring and promoting excellence in the African movie industry as well as uniting the African continent through arts and culture.
In 2020, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe became the National President of The Association of Movie Producers (AMP), succeeding Mr. Ralph Nwadike as the seventh president of the association.
Also, she was the initiator of the 100 Films Project, a project aimed at improving the quality of films produced in Nigeria.
With all her works in the industry, it is apparent that she was one of those who had the best interest of the Nigerian entertainment industry at heart.
Awards and honors
In 2012, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe was conferred with the honor of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic by the Nigerian government for her impact in the Nigerian entertainment industry.
The Guardian, one of Nigeria’s most reputable newspapers also stated that she was one of those who pioneered the screening of Nollywood films at international film festivals, in a move that has helped Nigerian films travel farther than before.
In 2019, she was honoured with the African Film Pioneer Award at the African Film Festival,TAFF.
Conclusion
Peace Anukam-Osigwe more than enough understood the business side of Arts and Entertainment and how it can be a huge non-oil revenue earner for government and provide hundred of thousands of employments for young people, so she worked that angle and was able to position herself as both a role model and icon for the coming generation.