Tag Archives: Annecy International Animation Film Festival

Disney orders African toon anthology

June 25, 2021NewsAnnecy International Animation Film Festival, Anthony Silverston, Disney Animation, Disney EMEA, Kent Osborne, Kiff, Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, Lucy Heavens, Nic Smal, Peter Ramsey, rion Ross, Tendayi Nyeke, TriggerfishGary

Sci-fi anthology series Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire

Disney EMEA has commissioned two animated kids’ shows from Africa, the company revealed at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival last week.

Speaking during an online presentation at the virtual edition of the festival, Orion Ross, Disney EMEA’s VP of original programming, animation, media networks Europe and Africa, announced Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, a 10-part sci-fi anthology series for Disney+, and musical comedy series Kiff for Disney Channel.

Executive produced by Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse co-director Peter Ramsey, Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire will feature films from Ahmed Teilab (Egypt); Simangaliso ‘Panda’ Sibaya and Malcolm Wope (South Africa); Terence Maluleke and Isaac Mogajane (South Africa); Ng’endo Mukii (Kenya); and Shofela Coker (Nigeria).

Nthato Mokgata and Terence Neale (South Africa); Pious Nyenyewa and Tafadzwa Hove (Zimbabwe); Tshepo Moche (South Africa); Raymond Malinga (Uganda); and Lesego Vorster (South Africa) will also contribute to the series.

Each film will be roughly 10 minutes long and together will comprise a feature-length anthology of original animation that will be released on Disney+ around the world in late 2022.

South African studio Triggerfish will serve as the lead producer on the anthology, which will launch on Disney+ globally in late 2022. Tendayi Nyeke and Anthony Silverston will be the supervising producers.

Kiff is a musical comedy about a squirrel and her rabbit friend.

“Tapping into the global fascination with Afrofuturism, which was turbocharged by Marvel’s Black Panther, and drawing inspiration from the continent’s rich history and diverse cultures, each 10-minute film presents a wildly entertaining mix of science-fiction, fantasy, future tech, aliens, spirits, gods and monsters, with plenty of action and adrenaline for fans of all ages,” Ross said.

Kiff, meanwhile, is a musical comedy animated series about a “very intense” squirrel and her rabbit best friend. Set in the bustling mountains, where animals and magical creatures live together in harmony, the series sees the duo take the town by storm with their endless adventures and zest for life. Each half-hour episode, comprising two 11-minute stories, will include a new original song.

Developed and produced by Disney Animation in LA, Kiff comes from South African creators and exec producers Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal. Kent Osborne serves as coproducer and story editor on the show, which is slated to premiere in 2023.

tagged in: Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Anthony Silverston, Disney Animation, Disney EMEA, Kent Osborne, Kiff, Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, Lucy Heavens, Nic Smal, Peter Ramsey, rion Ross, Tendayi Nyeke, Triggerfish

MIFA to honour African animation

May 14, 2021NewsAfrican Animation Network, Ali & Flipflopi the Multicoloured Dhow Boat, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Cause of Death, FupiToons Festival, MIFA, Sixpack Films, Süd Nord Film, The Wonderful Story of Aisha, Twende Smoothie OperatorGary

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.

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.

tagged in: African Animation Network, Ali & Flipflopi the Multicoloured Dhow Boat, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Cause of Death, FupiToons Festival, MIFA, Sixpack Films, Süd Nord Film, The Wonderful Story of Aisha, Twende Smoothie Operator

Gbadamosi short film wins MIFA event

April 22, 2022NewsAnnecy International Animation Film Festival, Esther Kemi Gbadamosi, MIFA, Radioxity MediaGary

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.

tagged in: Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Esther Kemi Gbadamosi, MIFA, Radioxity Media

Animation du Monde finalists revealed

June 14, 2018NewsAfrican Animation Network, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Annecy – MIFA Pitches Animation du Monde, DiscopJohn Winfield

The first two projects selected to compete in the African final of the Annecy – MIFA Pitches Animation du Monde have been revealed.

Étincelle, represented by Ouassila Kharoune (Burkina Faso), and Koka Kitoumbou, represented by Shikartoon (Congo Brazza), have been selected from the five competitors that were shortlisted at the recent Discop Abidjan market in Ivory Coast.

The Annecy/MIFA Pitches Animation du Monde competition plans to expand its reach in Africa by partnering with Discomics, with further finalists being selected from pitch competitions at forthcoming events the ICON Comic & Gaming Convention (South Africa), the Nairobi Comic Convention (Kenya) and the Lagos Comic Convention (Nigeria).

The pitch competition is a partnership between the Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Market/MIFA (Annecy/MIFA) and the African Animation Network.

tagged in: African Animation Network, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Annecy – MIFA Pitches Animation du Monde, Discop