Two things just happened that the African animation community should be talking about at the same time.
Spoof Animation just earned an official selection at LIFANIMA 2026 for their animated short film Next Kick. And the festival they’ve been selected for is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary, its biggest edition yet, with a record-breaking number of submissions and a national award on the line.
Both stories deserve to be told properly. So let’s do both.
The Selection: Next Kick by Spoof Animation
An official LIFANIMA selection is not handed out casually. The 2026 edition received 1,298 animated short film submissions from more than 120 countries the highest number in the festival’s history.
Getting through that field to land an official selection spot means the work stood out in a genuinely global competition.
Next Kick is the latest project from Spoof Animation, one of Nigeria’s most respected 2D animation studios, founded in 2015 by Ayodele Elegba in Lagos.
The studio has spent nearly a decade building a reputation for compelling African storytelling through animation, working with brands, agencies, and creative partners across Africa and internationally.
Their remote-first production model means their team stretches beyond Lagos, but their creative identity is unmistakably rooted in the continent.
The LIFANIMA selection puts Next Kick on a big screen in front of animators, filmmakers, investors, and industry professionals from across Nigeria and the world.
For everyone at Spoof who poured time, talent and heart into bringing this story to life, this is the moment it gets the audience it was made for.
What Is LIFANIMA and Why the 10th Edition Is a Big Deal
LIFANIMA — the Lagos International Festival of Animation was founded in 2017 as Nigeria’s first and only dedicated animation film festival.
In less than a decade, it has grown into one of Africa’s most significant platforms for animation, attracting submissions from over 100 countries annually and drawing animators, filmmakers, investors, government agencies, and creative industry professionals to Lagos every year.
The 10th anniversary edition runs October 20–22, 2026 and it is already shaping up to be the most expansive edition in the festival’s history.
Beyond the record 1,298 submissions from 120+ countries, the programme includes international film screenings, masterclasses, workshops, networking sessions, panel discussions, and special events marking a decade of animation excellence in Nigeria.
Festival: LIFANIMA — Lagos International Festival of Animation
Edition: 10th Anniversary
Dates: October 20–22, 2026
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
2026 Submissions: 1,298 films from 120+ countries (highest in festival history)
Festival Director: Muyiwa Kayode (USP Communications Limited)
Award Categories: Best 2D Animation, Best 3D Animation, Best Animation Commercial, Best Visual Effects, Best Stop Motion Animation
New in 2026: NOA Animation Awards — total cash prize of ₦22,500,000
One of the biggest new additions to the 2026 programme is the NOA Animation Award unveiled at last year’s 9th edition by the National Orientation Agency and now officially part of LIFANIMA’s award structure, with a total cash prize of ₦22,500,000. That’s not a token recognition.
That’s a career-changing prize for a Nigerian animation creator, and it signals something important: government institutions are starting to put serious money behind animation as a strategic creative industry.
To understand the weight of a LIFANIMA selection, look at what won at the 9th edition in 2025. The winners across five categories represented exactly the kind of breadth and quality the festival stands for:
- Best Visual Effects: Fire Regalia — directed by Enose Emmanuel
- Best Animation Commercial: Banking Never Stops With Keystone Bank directed by Chinagozim Abraham
- Best Stop Motion Animation: The Travails of Ajadi — directed by Adetunji Adeoye (the same film that went on to secure an official competition selection at Annecy 2026 the world’s premier animation festival)
- Best 3D Animation: Blinded by the Lights — directed by Francis Brown
- Best 2D Animation: Hadu — directed by Damilola Solesi
That last data poin: The Travails of Ajadi going from LIFANIMA winner to Annecy selection is the clearest proof of what a LIFANIMA win can do for a Nigerian animation project’s international visibility. The festival isn’t just celebrating local talent. It’s launching it.
Why This Selection Matters for Spoof
Spoof Animation has been one of the most consistent names in Nigerian 2D animation for nearly a decade. The studio was part of the Nigerian delegation at Annecy 2026 where over 50 Nigerian animation studios participated in the world’s largest animation market and has built a track record across commercial animation, branded content, and original African storytelling.
Getting Next Kick selected for LIFANIMA’s landmark 10th edition, against 1,298 entries from 120 countries, is a statement.
It puts the film in front of the most concentrated gathering of animation professionals in Nigeria.
And it puts Spoof Animation in the festival programme of an event that has over ten years directly shaped the careers and trajectories of Nigeria’s most talented animators.
If you’re attending LIFANIMA October 20–22 in Lagos, “Next Kick ” deserves a spot on your screening schedule.