Ghanaian animator, Francis Y. Brown of AnimaxFYB Animation Studios has won the Best Animation category at the 2023 Africa Movie Academy Awards with his animation film, ‘Jabari.’
The victory makes him the sole representative of Ghana in this year’s awards.
The prestigious event also celebrated other exceptional talents in African cinema, including ‘Le Spectre de Boko Haram’ from Cameroon, which received the award for Best Documentary, and ‘Anikulapo’ from Nigeria, which secured the Ousmane Sembene Award for Best Film in an African Language.
The award for Best Achievement in Soundtrack was presented to Antoine Nshimiyimana for ‘Fight Like a Girl’ from Rwanda. Emmanuel Bassey, associated with ‘Gangs of Lagos’ from Nigeria, was honored with the Best Achievement in Visual Effects award.
Following the triumph, Francis Y. Brown expressed his gratitude in a Facebook post.
In his heartfelt acceptance speech, he acknowledged the AMAA team’s dedication to recognizing excellence in African cinema and highlighted the significance of this achievement for his team at AnimaxFYB in Ghana.
Brown emphasized that ‘Jabari’ being the sole Ghanaian film chosen for the awards was nothing short of remarkable and a victory for the entire nation.
He urged the industry’s stakeholders to pay attention to the burgeoning field of animation, stating that animation is a multi-billion-dollar industry with untapped potential in Africa.
He concluded by calling on executive producers, producers, and investors to support the industry and help tell the authentic stories of Africa, bridging the revenue gap in the process.