As the world counts down to the 2024 Annecy International Film Festival in France this June, five project holders have been selected to represent Nigeria at the animation festival.
They include; Omoyefe Majoroh, Sagir Carpenter, Esen Unukogbon, Michael Eneje and Jonathan Oyiriaru, who emerged the top five finalists with the best creative animation projects in Nigeria.
The top five finalists will pitch their animation works during the 2024 edition of the renowned Annecy International Film Festival in France.
Read also: Spotlight on animation films as five works set for Annecy festival in France
Also, for the third time in a row, the Embassy of France in Nigeria will be supporting Nigerian Animation studios by providing them with an a stand at the market. Coordinated with the association, Animation Nigeria, the stand will be hosting more than 15 animation studios who will pitch their projects to French and international industry stakeholders.
Annecy International Film Festival is the world’s top reference for animation films. It gathers every year in the city of Annecy, based in the French Alps and welcomes over 14,000 industry professionals from all around the world.
In the wake of its 2024 edition, Annecy and the MIFA (Animation Film International Market) expressed this year again, their interest in Nigeria by offering young talents the opportunity to develop their projects. The focus on supporting creatives within Nigeria is hinged on the growing impact of the animation sector on the job market and the Nigerian economy.
Ahead of the upcoming 2024 Annecy International Film Festival, in partnership with Animation Nigeria, the French Embassy and the Institut français in Nigeria organised a pitching workshop in a competitive format for five selected Nigerian animation studios. They won an all-expense flight and accommodation trip to participate in the international festival. Each of them will have the opportunity to pitch their project at the international event as part of a focus on Nigeria, in front of an audience of international professionals.
According to Véronique Encrenaz, head of MIFA and Sylvain Grain, new nead of MIFA Talent Projects: “For several years now, MIFA has been closely following what is happening in animation on the African continent and had noticed the energy that was particularly evident in Nigeria. The International MIFA Campus workshops we have been organising with local and French players confirmed the presence of talented and promising creators on the territory, but also the need to accompany them in a demanding and competitive sector so that their projects get prepared enough to face the market. We, therefore, bring them to question themselves so that they can find their own aesthetic and narrative path and come out of this experience stronger.”
According to Christophe Pecot, regional audiovisual attaché at the French Embassy in Nigeria, “This is the third time we are supporting the Nigerian Animation Industry to the Annecy Film Festival and this was made possible by specific funds.
“This year the program called “Creation Africa” enables us to support entrepreneurship in the sector of cultural and creative industries. The fund has been entrusted to us for a period of 18 months by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, and aims at stimulating capacities building, amongst other themes.”
Mbuotidem Johnson of Animation Nigeria stated that Animation Nigeria, as an association of skilled professionals, is grateful for the beneficial partnership with the French government in enabling the growth of the local animation industry and the opportunities the partnership has created for its members.
“In the past, this partnership has granted us a platform to showcase our work globally and has been greatly instrumental in placing Nigerian animation on the world map. It has also trained talent in critical skills while stimulating greater connectedness among the players in the industry. Through its various initiatives, it has helped to drive a more positive narrative about the Nigerian animation space and the world is noticing. “This progress has all led to this point where at ANNECY, there is a focus on Nigeria and our member studios are once again being granted a chance to showcase their work on a global platform. This development holds significant potential to further drive attention to this nascent industry. As the African proverb says; It takes a village to raise a child, we realize that you have been a major part of our village, and for this, we are truly grateful,” Johnson said.
