The 2011 edition of the prestigious African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) has started in earnest and organizers say they are looking forward to the biggest event yet. The annual awards which has over the years awarded some of Africa’s finest movies and its producers opened nominations September 2010 and closed submissions January 6 2011. In all, close to 400 movies were received from movie producers across the African continent, including Tanzania, Namibia and Senegal who submitted movies for the first time. Ghana submitted about 30. The Academy of Screeners made up of members of theatre arts institutions in Africa and strong movie making industries also on the continent, whose work is to screen and select the movies for the awards have already had two screening sessions so far. They have held private screening sessions in The Gambia and Nigeria representing the first and second stages of screening sessions respectively. They are currently in Ghana for the third stage of the screening session. The Academy of Screeners is expected to finish their work in Ghana by Sunday January 23, before holding the final screening session by a selected panel from the international community. Judith Oluwole Kuwornu, AMAA Representative in Ghana speaking in an interview with Hitz Entertainment News indicated that, “One of the good news about AMAA this year is that we have had letters and invitations from people across the world. “Take for instance; we have the European Film Academy saying that over the years, movies submitted from AMAAs to the film festivals in the world have proven to be the best movies and they are quite happy with that and they want to be a part of the AMAAs.” Prior to the awards night, AMAA holds a nominations night which reveals the nominations and the award categories. This year’s will be held in Kenya in the last week of February. The nominations night has been held in South Africa, Burkina Faso, Nigeria with last year’s taking place in Ghana. Egypt will host next year’s nominations night. The awards night, which normally takes place first week of April every year, will be held in Nigeria in March 2011 due to elections in Nigeria. Winners will be announced at that grand event. Story by Ernest Dela Aglanu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana