Multimedia company N LITE has officially announced that actor and musician Jaden Smith will voice the character Kozo in their upcoming “AFRIME,” or “afro-anime,” film titled MFINDA. The announcement was made during N LITE’s panel at Anime Expo.
Smith is not only lending his voice to the character of Kozo but is also serving as an executive producer for the project and will contribute music to the film. N LITE had previously revealed character art for Kozo in February.
MFINDA is described as the flagship film project from Tokyo and Los Angeles-based studio N LITE. It is an original story created by Congolese-American artist Patience Lekien and co-creator Christiano Terry, who is also the Founder & CEO of N LITE. The narrative of MFINDA begins in 1970s Kinshasa, following a 13-year-old girl named Odi who seeks refuge in the mystical Mfinda forest during the Congo Crisis. This journey transports her back to the Kingdom of Kongo in the 1600s, where she encounters another lost girl, and together they embark on a quest for a magical Nkisi.
The film is set to be co-directed by Arthell Isom, founder of Tokyo-based D’ART Shtajio, which is recognized as the first American-owned and Black-owned anime studio in Japan and a development partner on the film. The screenplay for MFINDA is penned by Donald H. Hewitt (known for his English language adaptation of Spirited Away), Lekien, Terry, and Japanese writer Mika Abe (Forest of Piano).
In addition to Jaden Smith’s involvement, NBA MVP Joel Embiid, through his Miniature Géant production company, has also boarded the Congolese folklore-inspired anime feature as an executive producer. Embiid’s company will also executive produce a companion documentary, Mfinda: Spirits of the Congo, which will delve into the inspirations and production journey of this pioneering “afro-anime.”
