A still from 'Afro Algorithms'
A still from 'Afro Algorithms'

Viewers around the world can now watch the animated Afro-Futurist short about the possibilities and perils of artificial intelligence

(THE INTERNET | MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2022) -- After a successful six-month festival run, the award-winning short film “Afro Algorithms” is premiering online for viewers around the globe on September 12.

The animated, 14-minute film addresses some of the most pressing socio-technical issues of our times: the bias embedded in artificial intelligence (AI), its consequences, and how AI can be reimagined to serve everyone, not just a favored few. The film features a star-studded voice cast including acclaimed singer Ava Raiin, Robin Quivers of “The Howard Stern Show,” and African Movie Academy Award-winning actor Hoji Fortuna. The film is available on sci-fi streaming platform DUST, in addition to KweliTV and Amazon Prime Video.

Made in the Afro-Futurist genre, “Afro Algorithms” is written, directed, and produced by filmmaker and journalist Anatola Araba. Araba describes the project as a cross between “Black Panther” and “I, Robot.” Within the film’s fast-paced 14-minutes, viewers meet Aero, the world’s first AI leader. With her limited programming, the eager and earnest Aero soon realizes she has a whole host of missing worldviews from her database — most noticeably the stories of the historically marginalized and oppressed. What follows is a colorful and timely exploration of the bias in our technology.

To bring this project to life, Araba teamed up with Nigeria-based 2D and 3D animator Duru Azubuike, South African-based 3D artist Nkosana Ngwenya, and France-based musical artist Jeebrahil who composed all the original music. To ensure the story was an accurate reflection of AI and algorithms, Araba worked with NYU neuroscience professor Wei Ji Ma.

Says Araba: “Afro Algorithms is more than entertainment. It’s also a provocation to think about the intersection of race and technology, and where humanity is driving the future of our planet.” She continues: “The moral of ‘Afro Algorithms’ is to no longer rely on the data of the past to build the future, but to reimagine the world as it has the potential to be.”

Afro Algorithms is more than entertainment. It’s also a provocation to think about the intersection of race and technology, and where humanity is driving the future of our planet.

Anatola Araba, Mozilla Awardee

“Afro Algorithms” made its festival premiere in March 2022 at the Mozilla Festival. It has also screened at Lincoln Center in New York City; the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles; the Sci-Fi London Film Festival; NFFTY National Film Festival for Talented Youth (where it won an audience award for "Best Animation"); the Bronzelens Film Festival; Inside Out LGBTQ+ Film Festival; the KIDflix Film Festival presented by MoCADA; the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival; and other prominent events.

“Afro Algorithms” has garnered press and acclaim in publications including Deadline, Mic, NewsOne, Animation World, CellPress Patterns, TechVang Art, and elsewhere.

The project is funded by Mozilla’s Creative Media Awards, which fuel the people and projects on the front lines of the internet health movement — from activists to documentary filmmakers to researchers. The film is also supported by Artizen’s Black Realities Grant, the NFFTY Pitch Competition, and Inside Out RE: Focus Fund.

Press contacts:

Kevin Zawacki | [email protected] | +1 (914) 837-4333