SAVANNAH — “Ben & Ara,” which was filmed primarily in Liberty County, and was produced by Savannah native and Liberty County resident Samone Norsworthy, won the African Movie Academy Award for Best Diaspora Feature.

The AMAAs were held at the Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

“Ben & Ara” follows the struggles of an Islamic woman who falls in love with an agnostic man. It highlights the religious and cultural differences between the lovers.

“After reading the script for ‘Ben & Ara,’ I immediately fell in love with the story,” Norsworthy said.

“Ben & Ara” has won more than 10 awards. The film features Savannah native William Mark McCullough, actor, director and producer, as well as other local cast and crew members.

AMAA is an offshoot of the Africa Film Academy, which is geared toward research, training and promoting film making in Africa.

“Ben & Ara” will screen at the Big River Film Festival at 5 p.m. July 9 in the Johnny Mercer Theater. The cast and crew will attend and answer questions after the show. For more information about “Ben & Ara,” go to www.benandara.com. Twitter: @BenandAra

The festival will be July 7-10. More than 120 films will be screened, and 41 countries will be represented. For more information, go to www.big riverfilmfestival.com.