Nigerian animator selected for 2023 Durban FilmMart

CHEKWUBE Okonkwo’s ‘The Passport of Mallam Ilia’ has been selected for the 2023 Durban Film Mart.

The animation, which is produced by Ferdinand Adimefe joins six other animations from South Africa, Egypt, Kenya and Tunisia in the 2023 edition of the annual Durban FilmMart (DFM).

Other animations selected for the festival are ‘Azania Rises: Season 1’ from South Africa, ‘Boy Boi’ from Kenya, ‘Between heaven and earth’ from Tunisia, ‘my BIG name’ from South Africa, ‘Naledi,’ from South Africa, ‘Spiky to the Core’ from Egypt, and ‘Sola’ from South Africa.

According to the organisers of DFM, the film market is perfectly placed to provide a platform for animation content creators to meet potential collaborators and financiers, thereby contributing to the continuing growth of animation on the continent.

Each team has been assigned an individual mentor who will give them the tools to pitch and the confidence to navigate the market, which includes one on one meetings with decision-makers from across the world. In addition, each team has access to an 8 week masterclass series, after which the selected teams will then be invited to participate in the Road to Annecy Animation Incubation Programme.