ZOMA Studios' Mmanwu

Fig.1 - Mmanwu by Uzo Ngwu and ZOMA Studios. Poster designed by Joshua Adeoye.

Since its inception, the animation industry has been a storytelling engine: telling all types of stories from all types of people. However, according to the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, the animation industry still has a representation problem. Multidisciplinary artist, Uzo Ngwu, is trying to combat the lack of African representation in animation with her newly founded studio ZOMA Studios and their debut project Mmanwu.

Mmanwu, directed by Ngwu, is a 2D-animated horror short set in modern day Nigeria (Fig. 1). The film follows Ogechi, a Nigerian-American teenager, as she travels back to Nigeria following the death of her grandfather. However, her mourning is interrupted when she confronts an aspect of her culture she does not understand. Forcing her to contend with her identity as both Nigerian and American. 

Infused with heart and mystery, this story plunges us into the world of Igbo-Nigerian culture and traditions. The film opens with Ogechi on a plane back to Nigeria and we get to see the world through her eyes as she experiences an Igbo burial ceremony for the first time. She finds herself captivated by the vibrant celebration of her grandfather's life and in awe of the various masquerades, each with their own distinct rhythm and movement. However, when the ceremony concludes she starts to suspect that she's being followed by one. This feeling continues to linger until she’s forced to confront it head on. Mmanwu mixes magical realism and horror to explore themes of grief, spirituality and cross-cultural understanding. Uzo is interested in using the horror genre as a vehicle to unpack uncomfortable truths. Moreover, Mmanwu is classified as magical realism instead of fantasy because the film is grounded in reality with fantastical elements, rather than taking place in a fantastical world. By combining these two genres, Uzo is able to weave together a nuanced narrative.

Fig. 2 - Mmanwu. Illustration by Christina Oyebade.

Mmanwu is a story born from Uzo’s personal experiences in Nigeria and was directly inspired by her last trip to Nigeria in 2021 where she attended her own grandfather’s burial ceremony. On that trip, Uzo documented the experience with an abundance of photos and videos. All of which were compiled into a folder for artists on the project to reference when designing characters and backgrounds. The world of Mmanwu is inspired by real people and real places. Outside of Uzo’s personal experiences in Nigeria, Mmanwu has also been infused with stories from her family and the larger Nigerian community. 

Fig. 3 - Mmanwu. Illustration by Ariyana Taylor.

When Uzo first toyed around with the idea of writing this story, she was compelled by the fact that there’s an acute lack of stories in the mainstream animation landscape that center African narratives (Fig. 2). While that’s starting to change with series like Kizazi Moto, Supa Team 4, and Iwaju, there are still so many stories to tell from the continent of Africa and Mmanwu is just one of them. An animated horror film set in modern day West Africa is not something you see often, if at all, in the animation landscape. The decision to set Mmanwu in modern day Nigeria was also intentional, as animated projects from the continent often focus on Africa in the ancient past or the distinct future. With Mmanwu, Uzo hopes to articulate that there is value in the stories of Africa's present (Fig. 3).

Uzo recognizes that film is an incredibly powerful tool to deepen people's capacity for empathy and with Mmanwu, she hopes to tell a compelling story that introduces people to a culture they haven’t seen before. And for those to whom this culture and its practices are familiar, Mmanwu will serve as a story that they can deeply connect with. It’s a film that’s culturally specific with universal themes, so you don’t have to be Nigerian-American to enjoy, or relate to, it. In a media landscape rife with remakes and sequels, Uzo hopes to prove with this project that there’s an audience for original, culturally specific storytelling.

Fig. 4 - Mmanwu. Illustration by Victoria Imo.

As was mentioned, Mmanwu is the debut project of ZOMA Studios, a newly founded animation studio and production company by Uzo Ngwu. She founded ZOMA to champion underrepresented voices and centre culturally specific storytelling (Fig. 4). Mmanwu being ZOMA’s debut project is special, one because of how personal the story is to the director, and two because the story encapsulates everything ZOMA hopes to be moving forward – authentic, culturally specific and heartfelt. The name ZOMA comes from Uzo’s full name UZOMA which is an Igbo name that translates to “a good path (in life)” or “a beautiful way.” With ZOMA, Uzo hopes to forge her own path within the film and animation industries to tell stories she cares about. 

Consider supporting our project to prove that there is an audience for original, culturally-specific storytelling.

Kickstarter link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/zoma/mmanwu-animated-short-film.

**Article published: March 29, 2024**

Biography

Uzo Ngwu is a Nigerian-American multidisciplinary artist whose work encompasses film, animation, illustration, and music. She recently graduated from Harvard University in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Art, Film and Visual Studies. Alongside her Harvard classes, she’s taken vocal performance and production classes at Berklee College of Music as part of the Harvard-Berklee dual-degree program. She spent her final year abroad in Paris, France where she studied fine art and film art at Paris College of Art. Uzo was a participant of the Fall 2023 Women in Animation mentorship circle mentored by Hillary Powell, a mentee of the inaugural Beyond the Screen program in collaboration with A24 and Made in Her Image, and a member of the inaugural class of Peter Roth interns at the Paley Center for Media. She is currently directing and producing an animated short film, Mmanwu, as a recipient of the Harvardwood Artist Launch Fellowship under the mentorship of Mark Osborne. Uzo recently founded ZOMA, an animation studio and production company committed to centering culturally specific storytelling. Through her work, Uzo is interested in championing underrepresented voices and wielding different creative mediums to tell vibrant, compelling stories. You can find more of her work at uzongwu.com.