This past weekend, the glitzy lights of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) shone on Lagos, Nigeria. While she’s no stranger to the AMVCAs—having won Best Documentary in 2023 for Nigeria: The Debut—her 2024 nomination for Best Cinematography marks a different kind of milestone.
It’s the first time a woman has been nominated in the category, breaking yet another barrier in an industry still grappling with gender imbalance in technical roles. This nomination is not just a personal triumph for Nora; it’s a shift for women in film and television.
In an industry where women filmmakers, writers, and directors are still fighting to be seen and heard, Nora’s nomination is an important symbol of what’s possible when barriers are broken and talent is truly recognized.
A Historic Nomination
The AMVCAs, founded by MultiChoice, have been a staple in recognizing excellence in African cinema and television since their inception in 2013. Over the years, they’ve evolved into one of the most anticipated events on the African entertainment calendar. While the awards have celebrated numerous talented actors, producers, and filmmakers, the cinematography category has, until now, been almost exclusively male-dominated.
When Nora Awolowo’s name appeared on the list of nominees for Best Cinematography alongside Barnabas Emordi, it was a moment of reckoning. Not just for her, but for the industry as a whole.
In a tweet she posted shortly after the nomination announcement, she said:
Those words resonated with many, especially young women who are watching from the sidelines, seeing someone who looks like them break barriers in an industry that’s too often stacked against them.
Nora’s journey into filmmaking didn’t start with formal training or a film school background, it began during one of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strikes while she was in her second year (200L) of university. Looking for a creative outlet during the hiatus, she began experimenting with mobile photography. What started as a distraction quickly turned into a passion, eventually becoming a full-time pursuit.
“I got bored and thought of everything else I could still do in the visual storytelling space,” she once shared. “So I decided I wanted to become a cinematographer too. Started learning the ropes, and combined it with video editing and drone piloting as an additional skill. So here I am, doing all.”
That hunger to explore every facet of visual storytelling set the foundation for the artist she is today, one who’s comfortable both behind the camera and in the editing suite, capable of capturing both intimacy and grandeur with a lens that is distinctly her own.
The Road to Recognition
Nora’s journey to the AMVCAs has not been an easy one. Like many women in the film industry, she has had to face numerous obstacles, including limited opportunities to cultural biases that question women’s place behind the camera. But it’s her passion for the craft and her unwavering determination that have led her to this historic nomination.
In our research, we uncovered a deeper layer of Nora’s impact. It turns out that her work has not only gained recognition for its technical brilliance but also for its storytelling power. In an industry where technical proficiency often eclipses the soul of a story, Nora has managed to seamlessly blend artistry with purpose. Her cinematography does not just capture what’s on screen—it breathes life into the narratives she’s tasked with portraying, making her a true artist behind the lens.
Whether she’s capturing intimate moments in dramas or grand vistas in epic storytelling, Nora’s work is a visual reflection of her commitment to changing the narrative around women in film. This nomination is a recognition of both her technical prowess and her ability to elevate African stories through the lens of her camera.
The Underrepresentation of Women in Cinematography
Cinematography, like many other technical roles in film, has historically been a male-dominated field. 83% of the 250 top-grossing films in 2023 had no women directors, according to The Celluloid Ceiling, and 94% had no women cinematographers. While 75% of the top-grossing films employed 10 or more men as directors, writers, producers, editors, and cinematographers, just 4% employed 10 or more women.
In Nollywood, where many films are still produced on shoestring budgets, the vast majority of cinematographers are men. The gender imbalance speaks to a larger issue of underrepresentation and gender bias that has plagued the film industry for decades.
Nora Awolowo’s achievement represents a significant milestone, but it’s also a reminder of how much work remains to be done. As more women like her break into the field, it’s crucial to question why this recognition has come so late and what the industry can do to ensure that women continue to rise. Her nomination underscores a need for more systemic changes: equal access to training, opportunities for mentorship, and an end to the pervasive gender biases that still impact how women’s work is evaluated.
A Call for More Representation
While we celebrate Nora’s nomination, we must also recognize that this moment is not the end. It’s just one step in the ongoing fight for equal representation in film and television. Women filmmakers continue to face challenges that their male counterparts do not, from unequal access to resources to a lack of recognition for their work.
Nora’s tweet captures the essence of what it means to be a woman in an industry like film, fighting for space. It’s not just about one woman getting a nomination, it’s about what that nomination signifies.
What Comes Next?
The AMVCAs happened over the weekend, and though Nora and Barnabas’s Lisabi: The Uprising lost to The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos by Leo Purman, one thing is clear: her presence in the Best Cinematography category is already a victory. It’s a victory for every woman who has ever been told that filmmaking is a man’s job. And, most importantly, it’s a victory for African cinema itself, showing that the industry is capable of evolving and embracing diversity.
Whether it’s on set, behind the camera, or in the editing room, women are here to stay, and they’re going to continue making history, one frame at a time.
Nora Awolowo’s nomination is a momentous occasion, one that signifies both a personal triumph and a collective victory for women in the African film industry. It is a reminder that the fight for equal representation is ongoing, but also that change is happening.
Nora Awolowo is not just breaking barriers for herself, she’s paving the way for all women in film to follow. And we are all here for it.
