'Viva Riva!' Wins Top Honors at African Academy Awards

Despite being made in a country of 70 million people devoid of a single movie theatre, the Congoleses-Kinshasa film 'Viva Riva!' has won top honors at the African Academy Awards.

The film – produced on location with local actors and crew – won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Production Design, in addition to Best Supporting Actor awards.

The film follows Riva, a small-time crook who returns to his hometown of Kinshasa with a major score of hijacked gasoline. When Riva encounters the beautiful night club denizen — and kept woman of a local gangster – Nora, things get dicey. With the arrival of an Angolan crime lord intent on getting his stolen gasoline back, Riva

Director Djo Tunda Wa Munga's look at Kinshasa is a seductively vibrant, lawless, fuel-starved sprawl of shantytowns, gated villas, bordellos and nightclubs.

The film has yet to make its debut in the United States, although it is set to be released in New York and Los Angeles on June 10, 2011, with more cities to follow.

For more information about the film visit www.musicboxfilms.com/viva-riva.

For more information about the African Movie Academy Awards visit http://www.ama-awards.com/amaa-nominees-and-winners-2011