2D Animated Movie Adaption of Cyprian Ekwensi’s “The Passport of Mallam Ilia” is Almost Here | Watch how Everything Came Together!

We love how African stories are being told to the modern world.

From Tim Crothers‘ Queen of Katwe to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun to Tracy Farren’s Whiplash to Uzodinma Iweala’s Beast of No Nation, African stories are becoming a more attractive archive for filmmakers seeking to tell powerful and relatable stories.

We’ve got the scoop on a new Africa-To-The-World type feature film for you to look out for, and even more exciting is the fact that it’s a 2D animation.

Magic Carpet Studios, an animation and games studio in Lagos, is determined to disrupt the industry. The studio is currently working on its first 2D animation feature film – an adaptation of the African literature classic – “The Passport of Mallam Ilia” written by Cyprian Ekwensi and published in 1960.

This 19th-century story comes alive in the heart of Kano, an ancient city in Northern Nigeria. The Passport of Mallam Ilia animated movie is set in Northern Nigeria kingdom, revealing an ancient 19th-century tale of love and conquest, betrayal, and the search for revenge. The Passport of Mallam Ilia captures the beauty and culture of Northern Nigeria in the pre-colonial era, a period devoid of terrorism, insecurity, poverty, and sectarian violence.

The stars of the film include Di’ja and Sadiq Daba.

Click here if you missed the trailer.

This documentary tagged “Journey to Mallam Ilia”, is a research documentary by some of the team members during one of the many research trips to Kano where the book “The Passport of Mallam Ilia” by Cyprian Ekwensi was set. This documentary featured interesting scenes: From visiting the Emir’s Palace to the museum to interviewing Kano locals and exchanging ideas with Anthropologists, Sociologists and History experts in the city.

Watch it below.