Internationally renowned South Africa/Ireland-based animation studio, Triggerfish has bagged a number of honours this award season, marking a significant triumph for African animation in the highly competitive motion picture industry.
The ground-breaking Disney+ Original Series Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire has just clinched the prestigious Annie Award for “Best Limited Series” (TV/Media) at the ceremony in Los Angeles on Saturday 17 February. The series also recently won the Kidscreen Award for “Best Animated Series (Tweens/Teens)” in San Diego, earlier this month. These accolades recognise the creativity and storytelling expertise of the multi-talented team at Triggerfish, the lead production studio behind the anthology series
The action-packed animated sci-fi series Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire presents futuristic visions from Africa inspired by the continent’s diverse histories and cultures, and has been enchanting audiences worldwide with its compelling narrative, vibrant imagery, and original characters since its release in July last year.
This achievement is a testament to the exceptional collaboration of the team behind the scenes. Guided by Disney, executive producers Peter Ramsey, Tendayi Nyeke and Anthony Silverston and helmed by a group of 14 directors from across the African continent including Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, the series was brought to life with authenticity and passion. The star-studded voice cast, included Florence Kasumba (Black Panther, Wonder Women), Pearl Thusi (Queen Sono), Nasty C (multi-award winning South African rapper) and Kehinde Bankole (The New Normal, Sista) delivering captivating performances, breathing life into the characters and enhancing the storytelling experience.
The winning series episode Enkai, directed by Kenyan Ng’endo Mukii and produced by Blink Industries, is a striking cosmic, end-of-the-world, high-stakes fantasy. It was also selected as a finalist for Prix Jeunesse International in the 7-10 Years Fiction category.
Triggerfish also won an Annie Award for “Best Music – TV/Media” at the ceremony for its short film Aau’s Song, a fantasy Star Wars-inspired journey of a child finding her destiny, created for the Star Wars: Visions Vol. 2 anthology series by South African directors Nadia Darries and Daniel Clarke. Additionally, Aau’s Song has been nominated for a Prix Jeunesse International award. The series as a whole has also taken home the Lumiere Award for the “Best Episodic – Animated.”
In addition to this long list of recent accolades, Triggerfish’s original Supa Team 4 on Netflix, inspired by Zambian creator Malenga Mulendema, is up for “Best International Series” at the British Animation Awards in March.
Team 4 in the Byu Byu
“The affirming acknowledgement from these global awards marks a significant milestone not only for all at Triggerfish, but the African animation industry too, highlighting the growing recognition and appreciation for fresh storytelling and authentic representation of African narratives in animation,” says Triggerfish Executive Producer, Anthony Silverston.
About Triggerfish
Triggerfish, based in Cape Town and Galway (Ireland), is renowned for its pioneering role in South African and African animation that spans over 27 years. Notable recent productions include multi-award-nominated African-themed TV series such as “Kiya and the Kimoja Heroes”, “Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire” and “Supa Team 4” (now in its second season) for platforms such as Disney Junior, Disney+, and Netflix. Triggerfish’s portfolio also includes award-winning films namely “Adventures in Zambezia”, “Khumba” and “Seal Team” alongside numerous adaptations including “Revolting Rhymes” (Oscar nominated), “The Snail and the Whale”, “Stick Man” and “The Highway Rat”, all produced by Magic Light Pictures. Triggerfish is actively developing new projects for major brands and partners worldwide.
About the Kidscreen Awards
The Kidscreen Awards program is a high-profile celebration of children’s content excellence paying tribute to outstanding TV and digital media work that keeps kids and families entertained worldwide. This year, we received more than 550 entries from around the world in 50-plus categories spanning programming, broadcasting and digital media. These deserving shortlisted entries have been selected by our first-round judging panels to remain in the running. Winners were announced live at a fun and prestigious awards ceremony on Monday, February 5 during Kidscreen Summit 2024 in San Diego.
About the Annie Awards
Honoring excellence in the field of animation, the 51st Annual Annie Awards will be presented in 37 categories including Animated Feature, Animated Feature-Independent, Television/Media Production(s), Sponsored Production, Short Subject and Student Film, as well as the Achievement and Honorary awards.
The 51st Annual Annie Awards will take place on Saturday, February 17th, 2024 at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California.
