Nigerian actress, Temi Ami-Williams has shone at the 2021 Pan African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO).
She won the FESPACO Prize for the Best Young Actor from West Africa for her role in 2020 Nollywood drama, ‘Eyimofe‘; becoming the second Nigerian in history to win at Africa’s biggest and most prestigious film festival.
Clarion Chukwurah was the first to win a FESPACO prize, winning the Best Actress prize back in 1985 for her role in Ola Balogun’s Owo L’agba (Money Power).
Also, the award is accompanied by a cash award of CFA 1 million. It recognises the work of young West African film actors, aged 30 or less; who has also distinguished herself/himself by her/his acting in a fictional film in competition at FESPACO 2021.
The FESPACO is a biennial award that began in 1969.
This year’s FESPACO grand prize however went to ‘The Gravedigger’s Wife,’ a film by Finish-Somali director Khadar Ahmed.
The 2021 edition took place in the Burkinabe capital from October 16 to 23. However, It was initially set for February 27 to March 6 but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In Eyimofe, Temi Ami-Williams played the role of Rosa; an everyday Nigerian trying to make ends meet through multiple sources of income. Rosa also works as a hairstylist, a bartender, sells personal items to raise money; and even entertains the attention of an unwanted suitor for money.