African Actors to Watch In 2013

2013 should see a good number of African actors achieve global dominance. With an impressive outing last year, it is expected that the continent’s leading male screen names, will become better over the next twelve months. In no particular order, Obed Boafo takes a look at five African actors to watch out for in 2013.

Joseph Benjamin – Nigeria
A leading name in the Nigerian film industry, Joseph Benjamin is just one of the growing number of West African screen professionals excelling in the field.
His boy-next-door looks have made him an on-screen favourite of directors, actors and movie lovers alike.
A multi talented young man, Benjamin won the African Actor of the Year award last year, at the 17th edition of the African Film Awards, also known as Afro-Hollywood.
He got his big break when he landed the job of co-host of Project Fame, a music reality show in Nigeria.
With a solid West African viewership base, Project Fame brought Benjamin a good deal of cross border appeal, becoming a name most people started to look out for.
In addition to acting, he is a model, and musician.
Some of his well known movies include: Dark Side, Mr.  & Mrs., Tango with Me, Jungle Ride, Contract, and the yet-to-be-released Lotanna.

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Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine – Uganda
The playwright, photographer and documentarian made his film debut in the award-winning Blood Diamond, which also starred the likes of Djimon Hounsou and Leonardo DiCaprio.
He holds a Masters Degree of Fine Arts in Acting from the New York University, as well as studied at The Moscow Arts Theatre in Russia, The Royal National Theatre in London and The University of Virginia.
Mwine, who turns 46 this year, has had roles in Treme, Heroes,CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Riches and New York Undercover.
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Hlomla Dandala – South Africa
A successful local series actor before joining mainstream film acting, Dandala is an African household movie giant.
Dandala, 48, is famed for his 1998 to 2001 role as Derek Nyathi in Isidingo, and also as Jacob Makhubu in the series Jacob’s Cross, which has been running since 2007.
He’s also acted in Land of Thirst, a SABC2 funded mini-series, and Jozi-H, a South African-Canadian medical drama series, among a host of other productions.
A television presenter and director, Dandala has a rich collection of titles (either as director or actor) to his credit, including Backstage, Gaz’lam, Generations, Scout’s Safari, Hard Copy, Lord of War, Interrogation Room, Tsha Tsha, Coup, Sniper Reloaded, Red Dust, and the recently-released Ghanaian romantic comedy Contract, among others.

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Majid Michel – Ghana
Winner of Best Actor in a Leading Role at last year’s African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), Majid Michel is a popular name across the continent.
The 33-year-old is a former local drama series actor, earnedhis stripes on television before moving on to the bigger screen.
He announced his presence in 2008, when he starred in the movie Agony of Christ. The movie earned an impressive seven nominations at the 2009 AMAAs.

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Morris Sesay – Sierra Leone
The US-based actor/director is set to release his latest production Kamara’s Tree. The movie stars some of Africa’s leading screen names including Lydia Forson, Desmond Elliot and Joseph Benjamin.
Kamara’s Tree is expected to shoot up his ratings this year. Sesay struggled to gain mainstream appreciation in the past, but it looks like 2013 might just turn out to be a good year for him.
Sesay has been involved in a good number of productions over the past few years, making an impression on industry professionals in the sub-region.

January 15, 2013