Lagos International Festival of Animation (LIFANIMA) has announced winners for the 2024 edition of the festival which held in Lagos Thursday, 31 October 2024. Awards were given out to animators in four categories including 2D, 3D, Animated Commercial and Stop Motion Animation.
The Award for Best Animation Commercial went to Plastic Free Paradise by Jamaica-based animator, Kevin Jackson. Nigeria’s Michael Eneje and Joel Innocent won the Best 3D Animation Award with their entry, Ìrapada (Redemption). The award for Best 2D Animation was won by Tosin’s Story, directed by Angelo Anosike and Mbuotidem Johnson while No One Hears Us by Esther Kemi Gbadamosi won the award for Best Stop Motion Animation.
The Director General of National Orientation Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, who was the Special Guest of Honour, explained the vision and objectives behind the new Federal Government Policy of Nationalisation of Cartoon Content, and its inherent business opportunities for the animation community. As part of the strategies to achieve the objectives of the new cartoon policy, he elaborated on the content of the new policy and implication for the industry in the next three years.
According to him, animation has become a significant tool for government communication especially as it targets the more than 75 per cent youth population of our country. He explained that Nigerian animators could use this opportunity to tap into the huge budgetary allocation for communication by government at various levels across the various MDAs, noting that the Agency is ready to work with animators as facilitators.
Earlier in the day at the children’s segment of the festival, the Director General commended participating pupils and teachers from the Beautiful Beginning School, Magodo and Mighty Pillars school, Ikorodu for their flawless recitation of the national anthem and their good conduct.
The founder and festival director of LIFANIMA, Mr. Muyiwa Kayode in his opening remarks explained that the festival began in 2016 after the launch of his brand “Turtle Taido” the previous year.
Over the years, the festival had successfully gathered African animators across several African countries and galvanized support from other stakeholders including Bank of Industry, Checkers Custard, French Embassy in Nigeria and most recently the National Orientation Agency. The festival is endorsed by the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Art, Culture and the Creative Economy.
LIFANIMA is Nigeria’s premier animation film festival and now one of the top three in Africa. The 2024 edition had 1,106 submissions from 111 countries including 26 African countries.
