AMAA renames category after slayed animator

A posthumous honour has been granted award-winning Film editor/Animator, Jibril Mailafia who was killed by unknown men in Jos, Plateau State, on Tuesday.

Tagged ‘Jibril Mailafia Award for Best Animation’, it is double honour for the deceased who had earned a nomination in the same category, in this year’s edition of the AMAAs.

Founder/CEO of AMAA, Ms Peace Anyiam-Osigwe who announced the name change, explained that the Board of Africa Film Academy (AFA), parent organisation to AMAA, took the decision ahead of the 2018 edition of the award to honour the late animator because of his place as one of Africa’s shining lights in the area of creative animations.

She said: “This young man was one of the leading figures when it comes to animations for movies, clips, and short stories. He has been nominated severally for the AMAAs and won in 2016 for the first time under the international award platform of the Africa Movie Academy Awards.”

She noted that AMAA will forever honor him by renaming the best Animation award in his name.

The AMAA boss however believes that Jibril’s death should be a wake up call for stakeholders in the creative industry.

According to her, “Jibril was easily one of the top 10 animators in Africa – a crazy editor, a fantastic crew member, a no stress team player, the vicious death is a wake up call for us to speak out. We create things, it is time we used our voices in film, music, dance to shout loud and clear that this unnecessary killings should stop.”

Also speaking on the unfortunate demise of the Plateau State-born animator and product of the premier film school in Nigeria – Nigerian Film Institute, (NFI), AMAA’s Director of Administration, Mr. Tony Anih said it was with rude shock that AMAA received the news of the death of Mailafia who  “was nominated in the animation category in this years award. His entry is titled Group Foto. Yes, he was that good and consistent with his art. He will forever be remembered by AMAA as one of the young brilliant creative talents in animation to ever come out of Africa. We will continue to hold a candle in your name that will never burn out.”

Established in 2006, AMAA is a globally recognised reward system for filmmakers in the continent and the diaspora. It announced the 2018 nominees in August, in Lagos. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place in Kigali, Rwanda on October 20, 2018.