Illustrator Daniel Clarke developed the concept for a modern African fairy tale called Kariba, and, along with a South Africa-based animation collaboration called the Blue Forest Collective, is working to develop the story into a feature film.
The animated story takes place in 1950s Rhodesia where, angered by worker constructing a dam, the river-spirit Nyami-Nyami unleashes his daughter, Siku, onto the banks of the river in human form. Siku embarks on a mission to settle the feud between man and river, and reunite with her home. The 2D short is currently in development and is seeking partners this week at the Annecy Fest's Mifa market, where it will be pitched Friday in the new Animation du Monde showcase.
How did the idea for this project take shape?
Kariba really came about as a reaction to a frustration shared by me and a few friends concerning the types of animation films that where available to us in cinemas. As much as we admire these large-budget CG films, we felt that there is room for something a bit different - a bit more subtle, perhaps even hand drawn - with subject matter that isn't as neatly parceled up and digestible, yet just as entertaining.
The actual idea came to me when I was walking in a forest close to where I live. I'm not particularly fit, so I took a break and found a large rock to lie down on and catch my breath. As I lay there I remembered some stories my grandfather and mother had told me about the legend of Nyami-Nyami and the Kariba damn, and was struck by how rich a mythology it would be to tell a story around.
This is a fairy tale for kids about the environment. Are you more focused on education, entertainment, or both? How do you strike that balance?
You are right in saying Kariba is about the environment, although it is about many other things as well, and it has never been my intention to be didactic or adopt a simple agenda or point of view with the story. I think it is dangerous to present a scenario that simplifies man's relationship to nature as a binary and destructive one - which is not to say that the disastrous and irreversible damage being wrought on our planet is not largely man's doing. We must just be careful not to take a patronizing approach that teaches children that they are separate from nature and must in some way save' it, as opposed to realizing that they are themselves inextricably part of nature. So yes, nature will play an important role in the film, but it is a film after all. And as filmmakers we are in the entertainment business and so must first and foremost entertain.
Your main character is a feisty young girl. Is this a feminist story?
I can't say that deciding to have a girl as a lead was motivated by any sort of feminist ideals. I think feminism is an important and complicated issue and I feel unqualified to offer any sort of direct voice or claim to the movement. But I can benefit from the efforts of those who have championed the cause in that it isn't an issue for me to write about a strong, interesting self-motivated young girl.
The animation is reminiscent of Miyazaki films. Were those Japanese animators your inspiration? If not, who?
I came to animation quite late. There were a few Disney films I saw as a kid, which were beautiful and I can remember enjoying but didn't have much of a lasting impact. I particularly remember a stop-frame version of The Wind in the Willows and a Czech animation about a mole by Zden k Miler as being my favorites.
I would be lying if I didn't admit to being a great admirer of Studio Ghibli and especially Mr. Miyazaki. I think he has a regard for his audience that few other filmmakers have. He never panders or presumes that children won't understand. His films have powerful sentiment without ever resorting to sentimentality. One can sense an earnestness and sincerity that seems to resonate in some sort of fundamental way, as though he has somehow retained the ability to see the world as a child - at least that's how I personally view his films.
You said the music is going to draw on Southern African sounds what instruments are you planning on using? What does it sound like and how does it impact the story?
I think music can give a film a distinct sense of place. We would of course want to use instruments endemic to southern Africa and Zimbabwe like the mbira and the ilimba drum, but at the same time avoid the clich s that a lot of World Music' films about Africa fall back on. This is, after all, a film where many different cultures collide and we wish to explore this in the music. I think music is also one of the most powerful tools to imply scale, and it's important to me that this world feels expansive and extends beyond the borders of the frame.
What are your future plans ideally what happens next?
I, along with the other members of Blue Forest, simply want to make a film where we can express what we think is important and exciting - a film where we can take risks and not compromise too much (a little compromise is always necessary). We are all aware that the odds are slim, but we hope to find partners with similar ambitions and vision who can help us make Kariba the best film it can be.
www.variety.com
Animation
South Africa
News
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
04/12/2025
SBS launches Future Frames initiative to support emerging First Nations video ed...
Illustrator Daniel Clarke developed the concept for a modern African fairy tale called Kariba, and, along with a South Africa-based animation collaboration called the Blue Forest Collective, is working to develop the story into a feature film. 
