The Lagos International Festival of Animation (LIFANIMA) is set to return for its eighth edition from October 29-31, 2024, with the Bank of Industry confirmed as the official partner for the second consecutive year.
Festival founder and director Muyiwa Kayode announced that this year’s event has received 1,106 entries from 112 countries, signaling significant growth since its 2016 inception.
The United States leads with 142 submissions, while Nigeria tops African entries with 28, followed by South Africa with 19.
“This reinforces the bank’s continued support for the creative industry, which is now fully recognized as a critical growth sector of the economy,” Kayode said of the Bank of Industry’s renewed sponsorship.
LIFANIMA, the second-largest animation film festival in Africa, aims to promote African animation and develop this segment of the creative economy. The festival offers awards in five categories: 2D Animation, 3D Animation, Stop Motion Animation, Visual Effects, and Animation Commercial.
Organized in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the French Embassy in Nigeria, LIFANIMA attracts a diverse audience including animators, filmmakers, investors, and industry professionals.
The event shows the growing importance of animation in Nigeria’s creative sector, while also emphasizing the need for increased animation production across Africa.