Lion Forge Leisure (LFE), producers behind the Academy Award-winning Hair Love, has shared with AWN that it’s teaming up with Taylor Ok. Shaw’s Black Ladies Animate Studios (BWA) to advance a shared mission of fostering range and illustration in entrance of and behind the digicam within the animation business. BWA will work with LFE’s Atlanta-based manufacturing studio to recruit a various pool of expertise for pre-production roles on the Nigerian 2D animated fantasy collection Iyanu based mostly on the graphic novels by Roye Okupe. The present will debut on Cartoon Community and Max.
LFE Founder and CEO David Steward II leads the partnership to broaden entry and alternatives for Black and POC animators to coach the subsequent technology of creators and producers.
“Lion Forge stands for numerous tales, authentically advised,” stated Steward II. “BWA is without doubt one of the organizations main the hassle to open up this business to new voices and new creators, and we’re thrilled to hitch forces with them to offer under-represented expertise with the platform they deserve. Collectively, we are going to redefine the boundaries of storytelling and encourage a brand new technology of numerous voices in animation.”
The partnership strengthens LFE’s presence in Atlanta’s leisure hub, reinforcing its repute as a number one Black-owned studio identified for empowering underrepresented communities by means of storytelling. The studio just lately expanded its manufacturing slate to incorporate live-action along with animation.
“We’re thrilled to embark on this expertise pipeline partnership with Lion Forge Animation,” shared Shaw. “We’re coming collectively to rent and prepare numerous expertise for his or her upcoming collection and can proceed our efforts by means of an ongoing fairness technique that might be introduced later this yr.”
With a background in authentic IP growth, BWA Studios has gained a repute for revolutionary, environment friendly options to design, animation, and advisory companies for business and long-form leisure. Its manufacturing and programming span all platforms. The studio can also be identified for selling and driving fairness within the animation business by deliberately hiring Black ladies, ladies of colour, and nonbinary folks of colour.
Set towards the wealthy tapestry of Yoruba folks of Nigeria’s historical past and achievements, Iyanu is an adaptation of Darkish Horse Comics/YouNeek Studios’ well-liked graphic novel collection “Iyanu: Youngster of Marvel.”
The 2D animated collection takes place within the magical kingdom of Yorubaland and facilities round Iyanu, a teenage orphan lady who research Yoruba historical past and historic arts however yearns for a traditional life. Sooner or later, she unknowingly triggers her divine powers, which haven’t been seen for the reason that Age of Wonders. With newly found superpowers, Iyanu joins forces with two different youngsters as they embark on a outstanding journey to find the reality concerning the evil lurking in her homeland. All through her journey, she’ll uncover the reality about her previous, her mother and father, and her final future to avoid wasting the world.
As beforehand introduced, Brandon Easton (Transformers: Struggle for Cybertron: Siege, Marvel’s Agent Carter) spearheads the writers’ room, with Okupe serving as the chief producer, author, and director on a number of episodes. LFE’s Saxton Moore (Rise Up, Sing Out) serves as supervising director, with govt producers together with Steward II and Matt Heath, Influence X Capital’s Erica Dupuis, Forefront Media Group’s Ryan Haidarian, and Doug Schwalbe.
Lion Forge Leisure is represented by Activist Artists Administration.
Supply: Lion Forge Leisure
Debbie Diamond Sarto is information editor at Animation World Community.
