Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s production company, JuVee Productions, has teamed up with multimedia company N LITE to collaborate on the creation of “MFINDA AFRIME” (afro-anime). The Hollywood Reporter revealed additional details about the project, including new staff members.
Arthell Isom, co-founder of D’Art Shtajio, serves as co-director, while Mika Abe, known for her work on “Forest of Piano,” is handling the screenplay. Executive producers include Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, Melanie Clark (JuVee’s head of film), Taro Maki (Studio M2), and Eric Beckman (GKIDS).
MFINDA is produced by MAPPA’s Masao Maruyama, with direction by Gisaburō Sugii. GKIDS, a U.S. animation producer and distributor, is also a coproduction partner.
Christiano Malik Terry, founder of N LITE, is leading the production in Japan, with the screenplay crafted by Donald H. Hewitt (English screenplay for “Spirited Away”) and MFINDA creator Patience Lekien.
The story of MFINDA revolves around a young girl named Odi, who is transported to the past, where she joins forces with another girl, Nasambi. Together, they embark on a journey into the MFINDA to confront evil spirits and reclaim the Nkisi, with the hope of Odi returning home.
N LITE, through its AFRIME initiative, aims to bring stories from black and indigenous perspectives in collaboration with creators worldwide. AFRIME focuses on hand-drawn 2D animation, and N LITE plans to produce AFRIME films and television series. Additionally, N LITE Japan is working on projects based on anime and manga intellectual properties.
