Tag Archives: MIFA

Gbadamosi short film wins MIFA event

Esther Kemi Gbadamosi receives her award

Animator Esther Kemi Gbadamosi, founder of Lagos-based Radioxity Media, has emerged as winner of the 2022 edition of the International MIFA Campus Talents Nigeria workshop.

Gbadamosi’s stop-motion short film Prepared to Die was selected out of five projects that took part in the final pitch.

The four other animated projects include Chuso & the Bandits by Kwairanga Tukur and Mustapha Bulama of Nigerian prodco Green Arts; Ulegi by Somtochukwu Onubogu of Schucks Media; Pepe n Tomati by Oluwaseyi Fajimi of Folktail Studios; and Tejumade by Adebimpe Adebambo.

“I want to say a big thank-you to the French consulate for encouraging animation in Nigeria. It’s been a heartfelt journey to ensure animation is making progress in Nigeria. It’s really huge. It’s been a tough set of years. Experts, you have turned our lives around, I believe everybody won,” said Gbadamosi.

The workshop, run by the organisers of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, ran from April 12 to 15 at Alliance Française de Lagos/Mike Adenuga Centre in Lagos.

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MIFA to honour African animation

Lady Buckit & the Motley Mopsters

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (MIFA) will celebrate African animation at this year’s event, which takes place in France from June 14 to 19.

The hybrid event, which will be both online and onsite, has many African films in the official selection. They include Kenyan short The Wonderful Story of Aisha and Ali & Flipflopi the Multicoloured Dhow Boat, which is directed by Kwame Nyong’o and produced by Nairobi’s Apes in Space Animation.

Other titles include Twende Smoothie Operator (52×11’) from South Africa and Kenya, about a pangolin living on the African savannahs, and short film Cause of Death from South African production house Süd Nord Film and distributor Sixpack Films.

The best of Fupitoons Festival, launched by the African Animation Network, will highlight about 20 films from eight countries, while African animation artist William Kentridge will be celebrated through nine of his short films.

The Wonderful Story of Aisha

Nigerian animator Adebisi Adetayo’s feature film Lady Buckit & the Motley Mopsters will also be showcased, and Nigerian cartoon studio Basement Animation’s project Joko & Dide has been selected for MIFA Nigerian focus at the event.

Also selected as top finalists from Nigeria include Egbelughe Philip, Stanlee Ohikhuare, Oyikan Odunlami, Temidayo Odunlami, Brian Wilson, Eseme Joseph, Oluwayomi Oluwasegun Samson and Omotunde Akiode. They will also pitch their works as part of the Nigerian focus in front of an audience of international professionals.

There will also be pitch presentations of 21 African projects from countries across the continent, including Madagascar, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa, Egypt and a comic book project for adaptation.

In addition, there will be a conference on Understanding African Animation: Collaboration at the Core of Today & Tomorrow’s Strategies, focusing on training and technology, production and distribution and opportunities to meet with publishers, broadcasters and distributors from the continent.

MIFA is held every year in the town of Annecy in the French Alps and is attended by more than 13,000 industry professionals from around the world.

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Joko & Dide chosen for MIFA Nigeria focus

Nigerian cartoon studio Basement Animation’s project Joko & Dide has been selected for the Nigeria Focus at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Market (MIFA).

Mbuotidem Johnson

The event takes place as part of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France from June 15 to 18.

The announcement follows a two-week workshop at the French Embassy in Lagos in collaboration with the 2021 Annecy festival and MIFA, through a development programme for 10 projects supported by Animation Nigeria.

The initiative is part of the efforts of the Annecy festival and MIFA to focus on Africa and create avenues for young talent in Nigeria to acquire funding, coproduction deals or collaborations for their projects.

Joko & Dide, from Nigerian animator and Basement CEO Mbuotidem Johnson, won the first edition of the Annecy Lagos workshop and his participation at MIFA will give him a chance to showcase his project on a global platform.

Sharing the news on Instagram, Johnson said: “I’m grateful to God for this opportunity and grateful for the journey. It’s just a blessing to be surrounded by amazing minds. Thank you.”

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Annecy teams with Discomics to target Africa

The Annecy International Animated Film Festival & Market (MIFA) has reunited with the African Animation Network (AAN) and Discop for its pan-African pitching competition.

Nick Wilson

The Annecy/MIFA Pitches Animation du Monde competition will this year expand its reach in Africa by also partnering with Discomics, which will ensure the competition takes place in three markets (Discop Abidjan, Zanzibar and Johannesburg) and three comic conventions.

These events are the ICON Comic & Gaming Convention, Nairobi Comic Convention (NAICCON) and Lagos Comic Convention (LCC). The grand finale will take place at Discomics Johannesburg.

“This expanded footprint is exciting because it allows us to reach unique animation talent from more territories and countries in Africa which ensures greater diversity and representation,” said Geraldine Bache, head of education and projects at MIFA.

“This embodies Animation du Monde’s core mandate of assisting in building talent in developing animation territories.”

Participating animators will be given a chance to pitch their content to media professionals at Discop, Abidjan (May 29-31); ICON CGC, Johannesburg (June 29-July 1); Discop Zanzibar (July 11-13), NAICCON in Nairobi (August 11-12) and LCC in Lagos (September 15).

Entries for the competition will open in Abidjan (April 11-May 11), Johannesburg (May 8-June 8), Zanzibar (May 20-June 20), Nairobi (August 11-12) and Lagos (July 24-August 24).

According to Nick Wilson, head of projects at AAN: “There’s going to be a lot of conversation around African animation at Discop. They’re allowing the African animation industry to market itself to the greater broadcast industry in Africa. That’s a massive spotlight.”

Two projects will be selected from each event to compete at the Grand Finale at Discomics Johannesburg (November 14-17). Participants who make it to the finale will be given an opportunity to compete at the Animation du Monde event in 2019 in France.

“Perhaps the biggest value for entrants who proceed to the Grand Finale is the Annecy/MIFA Animation du Monde Skills Programme, which includes pitching workshops, training sessions and one-on-one meetings with industry experts ahead of the Grand Finale. Last year, we saw a number of talents develop exponentially through this experience,” added Wilson.

The annual Annecy International Animation Film Festival, held in France, is one of the four international animated film festivals sponsored by the International Animated Film Association. This year’s edition will be held from June 11 to June 16.

Last year’s inaugural pan-African pitching competition saw two projects selected to represent Africa at Animation du Monde 2018: Mumue, a short film by Wendy Spinks and Clea Mallison (South Africa) and The Tree of Palimpsest, a TV series from Ingrid Agbo (Togo).

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Annecy 2020 to honour African animation

Next year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival & Market in France is set to celebrate African animation and showcase content from African artists.

Mickaël Marin

African animation will be the core of the 2020 event, alongside the Institute Français’s Africa 2020 season.

Event organiser CITIA’s CEO Mickaël Marin said: “This tribute is a central point of many of our recent initiatives, the creation of Animation du Monde in 2015. Pitch sessions for projects from emerging countries as well as the creation of competitive category Perspectives in 2017 are two solid examples of our desire to provide increased visibility to these countries and to promote their astounding creativity.”

Véronique Encrenaz, head of MIFA, the market part of the event, said: “The presence of African studios and artists is increasingly high at MIFA and we would like to showcase it further by creating a special pavilion, as well as a series of meetings and project presentations.”

Marcel Jean, the festival’s artistic director, said: “We would like to assist productions from the entire continent and bring them into the spotlight, from pioneering works to contemporary young filmmakers, from Maghreb to South Africa, and Senegal to Egypt. In the development of this African animation structure, we intend to collaborate with local organisations and call on African programmers. This will be the opportunity for festival-goers at Annecy to discover a still far too little-known cinematography.”

There will be various screenings, meeting and conferences that will enable participants learn about diverse aspects of production in Africa.

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