Spotlight on animation films as five works set for Annecy festival in France

…French Embassy sponsors 25 Nigerians, stand at festival

Once again, Nigeria’s burgeoning animation industry is receiving a major boost with the participation of five indigenous animation studios at the upcoming Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.

The international animation film festival, which was created in 1960, will take place from June 9-15, 2024 in Annecy, an alpine town in southeastern France.

Read also: Micromedia Group boosts entertainment industry with multi-million naira animation studios

The five studios and works that are going to represent Nigeria at the festival, which is the world’s top reference for animation films, include; Small But Mighty produced by Gilded Hammer; Detective Jacqueline by VX Studio; Legends of Alkebulan by Tribe Temples Studios; Buddy by Align Animation Studio and Nok Nok by Magic Carpet.

Meanwhile, on May 16, 2024, the French Embassy in Nigeria in partnership with Animation Nigeria hosted some events marking the road to the festival pitch session at Alliance Francaise Lagos, Mike Adenuga Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos. The activities of the event include; animated content screenings, pitch sessions and cocktails.

The screenings and pitch sessions were graced by the international MIFA 2024 cohorts and some of the stakeholders in the Nigerian animation industry.

Expressing their views at the pitch and mentorship sessions, the mentors, including; Mounia Aram, producer and distributor, Delphine Nicolini, artistic producer and Omotunde Akiode, screenwriter, were impressed with the quality of work coming out of Nigerian animation studios.

“I am very impressed with the quality I see here, the studios are doing great,” Aram, producer and distributor, said.

But Nicolini, artistic producer, is more impressed with the level of creativity, which she noted is very high, coming out of Nigeria and looks forward to the works doing well at the main festival in France.

For Akiode, screenwriter, it is no surprise that such quality productions are coming out of Nigeria, considering the country’s feat in the global movie industry. She expressed her confidence in the works and the huge mileage the industry will gain at the festival this year.

In his remarks at the screening and pitch sessions, Laurent Favier, the French Consul General, noted that Nigeria’s participation this year will mark the third time the country is gracing the Annecy Festival. He assured that the quality of networking opportunities, windows for collaborations, co-productions, among others that will boost the creative sector, particularly the animation industry, are some of the reasons the French Embassy is supporting Nigeria’s participation this year.

According to him, the embassy is sponsoring a huge delegation from Nigeria to the festival this year, with about 25 people, including the producers of the five films, as well as sponsoring a big Nigerian pavilion at the festival this year.

He also assured of France’s continued support to the Nigeria youth to fully develop and maximize their creative potential for self and country’s development as well.

Christophe PECOT, regional audiovisual attaché, Embassy of France in Nigeria, also expressed the same sentiments, saying that Nigeria has so much potential in the creative industry and that France will always support the country in harnessing it for the benefit of the country, especially for youth empowerment.

The film producers were also excited at being given the opportunity to represent the country and to pitch at the French animation festival.

Sagir Carpenter, an executive of Gilded Hammer, producers of Small But Mighty, noted that his film can be appreciated by lovers of animation film from across the world due to the engaging storyline, technical quality, the duration, among other qualities.

He assured that the film would do well at the festival to win grants he needed to get more hands and equipment needed to expand his production and reach.

So also Omoyefe Majoroh and Essen Unukogbon of Align Animation Studio and Magic Carpet Studios respectively, who look forward to doing well at the international pitch and winning grants for business expansion projects.