Disney+ has announced they will premier Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire – a ten part sci-fi collection of premium original films from African creators set to premiere exclusively in late 2022.
“We are bringing the work of a visionary new generation of African filmmakers to Disney+. In addition to delivering thrilling animation for fans of all ages, this collection of ten original films taps into the Afrofuturism phenomenon which was turbo-charged by Marvel’s Black Panther and reflects Disney’s ongoing commitment to partnering with leading global talent to tell the stories of the world from fresh and authentic points of view,”commented Michael Paull, President, Disney+ and ESPN+, The Walt Disney Company.
This animated anthology will unite a new wave of animation stars to take audiences on a wildly entertaining ride into Africa’s future. Inspired by the continent’s diverse histories and cultures, the action-packed sci-fi and fantasy stories present bold visions of advanced technology, aliens, spirits and monsters imagined from uniquely African perspectives. Kizazi Moto features films from creators from all over the continent including Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt.
Oscar-winning director of the record breaking animated film Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Peter Ramsey, will serve as executive producer for the anthology with Tendayi Nyeke and Anthony Silverston as supervising producers. Triggerfish will be the lead studio for the anthology, working in collaboration with animation studios across the continent and globally.
“I’m really pleased to part of a ground-breaking, fresh and exciting project that’s aimed at exposing the world to a whole new wave of creativity and invention from a place that is just ready to explode onto the world animation scene. The films in the anthology kind of run the gamut when it comes to science fiction. There are stories that touch on other worlds, time travel, and alien beings, but all of these genre conventions are seen through an African lens that makes them totally new. I can’t wait for people to have their minds blown and say ‘I want more!'” commented Peter Ramsey, Executive Producer.
More than 70 leading directors and creators across the continent were invited to pitch their ideas, after a multi-year research phase that included input from Ghanian comic book blogger Kadi Tay, award-winning Congolese animation supervisor Sidney Kimbo-Kintombo (Avengers: Endgame) and Namibian-South African producer Bridget Pickering (Hotel Rwanda).
The final 10 films come from Ahmed Teilab (Egypt), Simangaliso ‘Panda’ Sibaya and Malcolm Wope (South Africa), Terence Maluleke and Isaac Mogajane (South Africa), Ng’endo Mukii (Kenya), 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). Each film will be roughly ten minutes long, and together will comprise a feature-length anthology of original animation that will be released as a Disney+ Original across the globe.
“‘Kizazi Moto’ derives from the Swahili phrase ‘kizazi cha moto’ which literally translates as ‘fire generation’, capturing the passion, innovation and excitement this new cohort of African filmmakers is ready to bring to the world. ‘Moto’ also means fire in several other African languages, from Rwanda’s Kinyarwanda to Shona, a Zimbabwean language, speaking to the pan-African spirit we hope this anthology embodies,” commented Tendayi Nyeke, Supervising Producer, Triggerfish.
The process was curated and produced by the team at Triggerfish, including Supervising Producer Tendayi Nyeke, Head of Development Anthony Silverston and Kevin Kriedemann, who proposed the initial idea for the anthology. 15 shortlisted projects were mentored by Academy Award-winning director Peter Ramsey and the creative teams from Triggerfish and Disney.
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