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Magic Cellar Wins Highest Award At WorldFest

MAGIC CELLAR, the first animated series to be based on African culture, has been awarded the Platinum REMI Award at WorldFest. The award to MAGIC CELLAR was presented in Houston, Texas on April 29, 2006. Present to receive the award were Firdaus Kharas, director and executive producer of Ottawa, Canada and Adeelah Carrim, producer, of Johannesburg, South Africa. The show is a joint venture between Canada and South Africa.

WorldFest is the largest film and video competition in the world, with more than 4,500 total category entries received in 2006. Winners receive Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum REMI awards. Winners came from 33 countries this year.

MAGIC CELLAR is Africas first 3D animated series. Produced entirely in Maya, the series celebrates Africas culture and traditions while promoting reading as exciting and adventurous. The series is based on African folktales, partially collected from interviews conducted with elders in villages across South Africa. Each episode is broken up into three sections: a brief introduction and set-up; the African story; and a wrap-up with the lessons learnt. Each episode is a self-contained, animated short.

MAGIC CELLAR was commissioned by the South African Broadcasting Corp. and is a production of Chocolate Moose Media Inc. of Ottawa, Canada and Morula Pictures of Johannesburg, South Africa. Further information may be obtained at www.magiccellar.tv.

Other animation screened at WorldFest included French features, THE DOG, THE GENERAL AND THE BIRDS, ISLE OF BLACK MOR, and RAINING CATS AND FROGS as well as the shorts 8.1 from Hans Van Westerlaak and FILM NOIR from Osbert Parker.

More information can be found at www.worldfest.org.

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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks