African animation filmmaker Shofela Coker has achieved significant recognition with three nominations at the 51st Annie Awards.
As the art director for the Yoruba-inspired sci-fi animation Moremi, part of Disney Plus’s Kizazi Moto series, Coker’s nominations span the categories of Best Direction, Best Character Animation, and Best FX TV/Media.
The highly anticipated awards ceremony is scheduled for February 17, 2024, at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles.
The nominated Moremi episode, co-written by Vanessa Kanu, unfolds a captivating narrative featuring a spirit boy named Luo trapped in a spirit realm and plagued by giants.
Moremi, a particle physicist from Nigeria, becomes the hero who aids Luo in reconnecting with lost memories.
The episode made its debut in Nigeria at the Zuma Festival in Abuja on December 4, 2023, and later at the Filmhouse Landmark Cinemas in Lagos on December 6, 2023, in collaboration with the African International Film Festival (AFRIFF).
Beyond the individual accolades, Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, the overarching series to which Moremi belongs, earned a nomination in the Children and Youth category at the international Rose d’Or awards on November 27, 2023.
The prestigious event took place at the King’s Palace in London. Notably, this Disney original, a collaborative effort by animators from Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt, unfolds an adventurous tale about Africa.
The series explores themes ranging from technological advancement to encounters with aliens, spirits, and monsters.
