NBA Star Joel Embiid Joins ‘Mfinda’ Animated Feature as Exec Producer

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, a NBA MVP in 2023, has boarded the Congolese folklore-inspired anime feature Mfinda as an executive producer through his prodco Miniature Géant, launched in partnership with LeBron James’ Uninterrupted label. A panel on the film and its accompanying manga will be presented at Anime Expo on Friday, July 4.

Embiid will also executive produce a companion documentary, Mfinda: Spirits of the Congo, exploring the inspirations and production journey of the pioneering “afro-anime.” Miniature Géant’s Sarah Kazadi-Ndoye will also exec produce alongside Uninterrupted’s James and Maverick Carter.

The star player turned EP, who is Cameroonian and American, told Variety: “I’ve always been an anime fan, and being part of this project is a great opportunity to help bring meaningful stories to life. Miniature Géant is focused on giving new voices a creative platform. This partnership and developing an African anime story felt like a natural fit for us.”

Mfinda is the flagship film project from Tokyo- and Los Angeles-based studio N LITE, an original story created by Congolese-American artist Patience Lekien and co-creator Christiano Terry (Founder & CEO of N LITE). The film begins in 1970s Kinshasa, and follows a 13-year-old girl named Odi who escapes into the mystical Mfinda forest during the Congo Crisis. She is transported back to the Kingdom of Kongo in the 1600s and meets another lost girl, and together they search for a magical Nkisi that could help them return to their homes.

The project has already attached acclaimed anime producer Masao Maruyama (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress) and director Gisaburō Sugii (Street Fighter II, The Life of Gusuko Budori), as well as producer/distributor GKIDS (now owned by Japan’s Toho), Viola Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions.

Mfinda will be co-directed by Arthell Isom, founder of Tokyo-based D’ART Shtajio (Star Wars: Visions) — the first American-owned and Black-owned anime studio in Japan, and a development partner on the film. The screenplay is written by Donald H. Hewitt (Spirited Away, English language adaptation), Lekien, Terry and Japanese writer Mika Abe (Forest of Piano).

The Anime Expo panel next weekend will gather the film’s creative staff for a behind-the-scenes look and discussion about this first-of-its-kind anime project. Actor Jaden Smith will also share a video message with a new update to be revealed. AX attendees can catch the panel on Friday, July 4 at 5 p.m. in room 403AB of the L.A. Convention Center.

[Sources: Variety, The Nerds of Color/Anime Expo]