” I feel honoured to be invited to such a high class event and I look forward to meeting and chatting with other key players in the film industry. The movie industry is strategic in creating employment and stimulating socio-economic growth in sub Saharan Africa, “ he said. 

He will be among other celebrities from across the sub-region who will join Finney at the awards that is  aimed at recognizing movie makers in the Gambia for strides in boosting the African movie industry.

Another Sierra Leonean actor and producer Collins Archie Pierce will be a special guest at the awards.

Pierce will be flying into the Gambia from London to be at the landmark event.

 It is mooted that the blockbuster movie, Ibu in Sierra Leone which is produced by Pierce and which features Nigerian movie star John Okafor aka Ibu , Desmond Finney and Collins himself and directed by John Solo will be premiered in the Gambia on October 1, 2016,

The Special Movie Awards is the first-ever movie award ceremony that is being held to recognize and award outstanding personalities in the movie industry in The Gambia.

The event is meant to celebrate films made in The Gambia, promote qualitative film content, and encourage the art of film-making.

Afrinity Production, organiser of the event, is a Pan-African specialist interactive media outfit.

The successful completion of screening of the SMA 2016 film entries were submitted by 24 film production houses, and after a weeklong screening by an independent jury; based on the films submitted, the jury came up with three nominees in each of the 15 categories.