OVERSEEING ART DIRECTOR KIZAZI MOTO
MUKUDZEI
Directed by Pious Nyenyewa & Tafadzwa Hove – Zimbabwe
After defacing and destroying a sacred monument, rebellious teenage influencer Mukudzei emerges from the ruins into an alternate future where Zimbabwe was never colonized and developed into a technologically advanced utopian society. Lost and confused, Mukudzei meets a mysterious scavenger named Rumbie and begs her for help, but quickly discovers he’s being hunted by the Hungwe, a huge robotic eagle enforcing the most sophisticated justice system in the multiverse.
In 2020 I was brought on board by Triggerfish Animation Studio’s as overseeing Art Director on Kizazi Moto Generation Fire for Disney+. Kizazi Moto is an anthology of ten short films written and directed by African creators from across the continent, broadcast on streaming platform Netflix. As overseeing Art Director I was present from early conception working with Triggerfish Animation to guide the creative under the Disney Brand.
As Art director across the series I worked with a diverse and incredibly talented pool of artists and directors ensuring that their vision was realised at the very highest standard for this exciting project. Working on 10 films simultaneously was challenging and rewarding. As a Visual Artist myself, I can speak to the Directors and Creators from a grass roots level and understand the creative challenges they face. 10 Films at once offers a challenge in that I needed to maintain the visual integrity for each piece while ensuring that thematically we hit the tone and quality established for the series
It was an amazing oppurtinity working with the team from Mukudzei. The directors, Taf and Pious, were a joy to work with. Both reign from Zimbabwe. The vision of these directors was very clear from the start - and it came from the heart. The vision for Mukudzei, an Africa free of Colonialism, remained at the core of the aesthetic as a constant, from inception to completion. We enjoyed countless explorations into the visual possibilities of this world always being true to the spirit of the story. Mukudzei was a great opportunity to share my concepts with directors that were open to creative interpretation while always guiding us back to their true intention.
