The Nigerian animation industry is set to shine on the global stage as five Nigerian animators have been chosen to pitch their projects at the prestigious 2024 Annecy Film Festival in France, scheduled from June 11 to 15.
The opportunity emerged after a comprehensive week-long workshop and pitch preparation session held at the Alliance Française in Lagos.
Organized by the French Embassy in Nigeria in collaboration with Annecy and the International Animation Film Market (MIFA), the program aims to showcase Nigerian animation projects poised for the international market.
Supported by Animation Nigeria, the workshop focused on equipping participants for their final pitches in France.
The selected animators and their projects are:
Omoyefe Majoroh of Align Animation Studio, Project: “Buddy”
Esen Unukogbon of Magic Studio, Project: “NokNok”
Sagir Carpenter of Gilded Hammer, Project: “Small but Mighty”
Michael Eneje of Tribe Temple Studio, Project: “Legends of Alkebulan”
Jonathan Reagle Oyiriaru of VX Studio, Project: “Detective Jacqueline”
Mr. Laurent Favier, the Consul-General of France, highlighted the enormous potential of Nigeria’s animation sector and reaffirmed the French embassy’s commitment to fostering the growth of the animation ecosystem in Nigeria through various capacity-building initiatives.
“The goal is to stimulate cultural entrepreneurship in Nigeria,” he stated.
On his part, Christophe Pecote, Audiovisual Attaché, elaborated on the rigorous screening process, noting the high quality of submissions which made the selection of the final five projects challenging out of the 24 entries received.
To enhance the animators’ pitching skills, three mentors—Mounia Aram, Delphine Nicolini, and Omotunde Akiode—provided coaching.
The objective is for Nigerian animators to attract international support and production opportunities at the Annecy Festival, where they will present their projects to around 80 animation professionals from across the globe.
“It’s not easy to produce animation content in Nigeria. They need to attend international markets to get some international stakeholders. Nigerians are talented, they have incredible stories, the problem is how to pitch the project to attract international stakeholders,” Pecote explained.
Omoyefe Majoroh, one of the project holders, expressed her excitement about the opportunity, noting its potential for networking with industry professionals and gaining international exposure.
She reiterated the importance of meeting the requirements for a successful pitch, including a Teaser/Proof of Concept, Production Bible, Pilot Script, and Synopses of springboard episodes.
“We have been working on the project and were happy when it was selected,” she said.
The Mifa Pitches at Annecy aim to unveil the best original animation film projects at an advanced stage of development.
The event provides a platform for animators to present their work to a global audience, potentially securing future support and production deals, thus marking a significant milestone for the Nigerian animation industry.
