Francis Y. Brown and his AnimaxFYB Animation Studios won the Jubril Malaifia Award for Best Animation at the 2023 Africa Movie Academy Awards with their animation film, ‘Jabari.’
This makes them the only Ghanaians to have won a slot in this year’s awards.
Other winners were ‘Le Spectre de Boko Haram’ (Cameroon) for Best Documentary, Anikulapo (Nigeria) for Ousmane Sembene Award for Best Film in an African Language,
Best Achievement in Soundtrack went to Antoine Nshimiyimana – Fight Like a Girl (Rwanda), while Emmanuel Bassey – Gangs of Lagos (Nigeria) won the Best Achievement in Visual Effects award.
In a Facebook post, Francis Y. Brown, the CEO of the company expressed his appreciation.
Read an extract of his acceptance speech as posted on his Facebook page below:
I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the extraordinary AMAA team for their unwavering commitment to recognizing and celebrating excellence in African cinema. Your dedication in creating this world-class awards scheme that honours Africa’s finest in film is truly commendable.
Tonight, this victory is not mine alone, nor does it belong solely to my dedicated team at Animaxfyb in Ghana. Instead, it is a triumph for an entire nation, my beloved motherland, Ghana. “Jabari” stands as the sole Ghanaian film chosen for this year’s awards, and this achievement is nothing short of remarkable. To be not only selected but to take home the award from such a prestigious event is an honour beyond words.
This achievement prompts a profound reflection on how far animation has come in Africa. A single animation piece now represents an entire industry within a nation. I earnestly beseech all executive producers, producers, and investors to pay heed to this burgeoning industry. Animation is a multi-billion-dollar industry, but sadly, Africa has not had its fair share of revenue.
The continent is brimming with immense talent and untapped potential, ready to make a mark in the global animation industry. I implore you to support us in bridging the revenue gap and help us tell the authentic stories of Africa.
This year’s event was held at the Balmoral Convention Centre of the Sheraton Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria on Sunday, 29th October 2023.
The Africa Movie Academy Awards, an annual award scheme to reward excellence among film professionals working in Africa, or non-African professionals who have contributed to the African film industry.
The awards scheme is also aimed at honouring and promoting excellence in the African movie industry as well as uniting the African continent through arts and culture.
The award presentation is attended by numerous media representatives, celebrities, politicians, journalists, actresses and actors from all across the world.
