As the world of African cinema awaits the lists of nominations for the 2012 African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) from the nominations party in Gambia March 17, organizers have announced that the award ceremony will be hosted by Haitian international actor, Jimmy Jean-Louis.

Jimmy is no stranger to African cinema, as he worked on 3 African productions that were nominated for AMAA laurels in 2011, including a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his role as an abusive husband in the award-winning ‘Sinking Sands’.

he eighth edition of the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), popularly referred to as AMAA awards, will be hosted by Haitian born international actor, Jimmy Jean-Louis. The actor is also notable for roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as ‘Tears of the Sun’, ‘Phat Girlz’, ‘Diary of a Tired Black Man’ among others.

In other AMAA news, the city of Lagos will be playing host to eight edition of the award ceremomy, which since inception had always been held in Bayelsa State. The changes became necessary owing to challenges in the areas of security, accommodation and airport logistics which were inadequate in Bayelsa State to hold an event of such magnitude, which is fast gaining international acclaim.

The award ceremony is scheduled to hold on April 22 after receiving 328 entries from filmmakers across Africa. The African Movie Academy Awards are presented annually to recognize excellence in the African film industry, rewarding directors, actors, and writers. The awards are aimed at honouring and promoting excellence in the African movie industry as well as uniting the African continent through arts and culture.