Two leading figures of Japanese anime, producer Masao Maruyama and director Gisaburō Sugii, as well as acclaimed animation producer/distributor GKIDS, have joined global multimedia company N LITE and N LITE Japan to produce their first “afrime™” — afro-anime — film, Mfinda.
N LITE will unveil an in-depth look into Mfinda, their flagship film, at this year’s Annecy Festival in France. The project was selected amongst the prestigious MIFA pitches this year in the feature film category.
Mfinda is an N LITE original, created by Congolese-American artist Patience Lekien and co-creator Christiano Terry (Founder & CEO of N LITE). The story centers on a 12-year-old Congolese girl who is transported to the Mfinda, a primordial forest of spirits, gods and ancestors. There, she joins another young girl from a different time, and embarks on a journey to find the magical Nkisi in hopes of finding her way back home.
As an international co-production, N LITE Japan will lead the development and production of Mfinda with Maruyama and Studio M2 in Tokyo. Maruyama has also joined the board of N LITE Japan (led by CEO & Producer Shin Koyamada and President Shigeru Igari) to build the company’s in-house 2D hand-drawn animation studio for international co-productions and feature films.
Masao Maruyama is a legendary anime producer, known for the critically acclaimed films Perfect Blue, Summer Wars, and the upcoming Studio M2 series Pluto for Netflix. He is the Chairman of MAPPA and a founder of Madhouse, two leading Japanese animation studios.
Mfinda will showcase a dual directing team, pairing the prolific Japanese director Gisaburō Sugii (Street Fighter II, The Life of Gusuko Budori) with Black anime pioneer and first-time co-director Arthell Isom, founder of Tokyo-based D’ART Shtajio (Star Wars: Visions Vol. 2). D’ART Shtajio is also a development partner for Mfinda. The screenplay is being written by Donald H. Hewitt (Spirited Away, English language adaptation), Lekien, Terry and Japanese writer Mika Abe (Forest of Piano).
N LITE Japan’s producing team includes Shin Koyamada (The Last Samurai, Disney’s Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior), Shigeru Igari (Former CEO of Atlus and Board Member of Madhouse) and Tony Izumi (Yona Yona Penguin, Tibetan Dog).
“Last year, my good friend Shigeru Igari, whom I have known for many years from Madhouse and Shin Koyamada, shared this new African anime film, Mfinda, with me, says Maruyama. “When Christiano and I met in Japan earlier this year, his enthusiasm for the film compelled me to join. I’m ready to tell a story about the positive power of spirits and community that will resonate in Japan and around the world.”
The U.S.-based GKIDS, producer and distributor of artist-driven and award-winning animation from around the world, is attached as producer, with studio Founder & CEO Eric Beckman executive producing.
“GKIDS is thrilled to be a part of the Mfinda team. From the moment we saw the first early drawings and treatment, we fell in love with the project and committed to helping bring Patience’s vision to life,” says Beckman. “As the Annecy audience will soon see, the world of Mfinda transcends the boundaries of geography and time with a deeply resonant story full of wonder, beauty, and ancient wisdom. We’re honored to be a part of the international team tasked with bringing this amazing film to a global audience.”
This will be the third film GKIDS is executive producing since the Oscar-nominated titles Wolfwalkers (2020) and The Breadwinner (2017). Currently celebrating its 15th anniversary, the company has notched a total of 12 Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations. GKIDS also handles North American distribution for the Studio Ghibli film library, as well as the critically acclaimed series Neon Genesis Evangelion. GKIDS is also the founder and host of the annual Animation Is Film festival in L.A.
N LITE was established to bring untapped and authentic stories from the black and indigenous imagination to life for audiences around the world. The company trademarked afrime™ to merge Japanese anime and storytelling from Africa and the African diaspora. N LITE plans to produce content from a wide-ranging franchise driven slate of animated and live action IP.
“We selected Mfinda as our flagship film because it’s not often that audiences are able to experience the power of storytelling through the journey of a young Congolese girl and her community. We look forward to transporting audiences to the Mfinda for an enchanting ride.” said Terry, “Anime has a global fanbase amongst audiences of color, it’s an honor to work alongside legends of Japanese anime on this historic project.”
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