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ENONGO - Animation Fund

Help us make original, hand-drawn animation by a team of talented Black women animators!

Closed

ENONGO - Animation Fund

Help us make original, hand-drawn animation by a team of talented Black women animators!

2 Campaigns |

Brooklyn, United States

$26,100 USD by 426 backers

$22,255 USD by 343 backers on Dec 8, 2019

Story

FAQ

Updates 37

Comments 6

Highlights

2 Projects 2 Projects

Enongo is a forthcoming feature-length documentary and the inspiring story of rapper/producer/Ph.D. candidate Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, a.k.a. Sammus. Through her compelling and honest music, Enongo/Sammus tackles various subjects including (but certainly not limited to) race, feminism, video games, the music industry, mental health, growing up, and relationships. Inspired by the feminist bounty hunter protagonist of Nintendo's Metroid video game series, Enongo adopted the stage persona "Sammus" to tell her story and experiences through her music.

Enongo is many things. She is relatable, complicated, funny, passionate, and unique. She is an artist, a musician, a producer of her own beats, a master lyricist, a Black woman, a first-generation American of West African descent, an introvert, a gamer, a self-described "weirdo," a teacher, and a friend.

Chronicling everything from Sammus touring across North America to creating her latest album to her origins and upbringing, this documentary aims to share the emotional, inspiring journey of a polymath and genuine artist... but this will only be possible with your help!

Filming is nearing completion, and editing is well underway. We have all of the funds we need for final sound mix, color correction, and our original musical score. Almost everything we need is there. BUT, during the process of editing the film, we noticed that there was something extremely vital missing. Enongo herself is a fantastic orator and storyteller, but many essential anecdotes and experiences in her life were absent from our narrative on a cinematic level. We had little visual record of her past in the way we needed, and no way of visually showing what is going on inside her mind. Thus, we realized how to bring those separate but crucial chapters of her journey to life: through animation.

While the film mostly follows our protagonist with contemporary footage of her performing across North America, in the intimacy of her home, and behind-the-scenes access of the artist creating her next album, we are also producing over ten minutes of original, frame-by-frame, hand-drawn animation — conceived, designed, storyboarded, and brought to life by a team of eight young, Black women animators across the country — which will help tell Enongo's story. These animation sequences will shed light on Enongo's complicated upbringing as a child of West-African immigrants living in mostly-white Upstate New York, her battles with mental health, how the feminist icon of video game heroine Samus Aran inspired her, and other key aspects of her narrative. The animation not only fills in the narrative gaps, but expands the experience of the viewer, making a more engaging, creatively-satisfying, and moving work of cinematic storytelling.

The animation style will embrace the tradition of hand-drawn "pencil tests,” showing the artistry of the animators’ craft and personal visions behind the drawings in each frame. Each sequence will have a unique aesthetic to it, as well, with each animation artist cast to scenes that will exemplify her vision and creative strengths. This will also be the very first feature-length film of any genre in which all of the animators are Black women. All of our storyboards are timed as animatics, and rough animation is already underway. Now, we just need to bring all of these drawings to life.

Making a feature-length documentary is a lot of work and very expensive. Making a very good, polished feature-length documentary shown around the world with lots of original, hand-drawn animation is even more work and is even more expensive.

This is where you come in.

By reaching our minimum goal of at least $20,000 (and hopefully surpassing it!), we will use those funds to finish roughing out, drawing, and clean-up on our amazing animation sequences. If we can surpass that goal, we hope to use additional funds on any essential animation backgrounds, shading, and other elements.

Enongo's story is relatable, universal, and deeply moving. How this story is told, and by whom, is what makes this movie really special...

Each team member on the film is assigned to a position based on their strengths and connection to the material. Like an actor cast to a specific role or like the animation masters of the old hand-drawn days working at Disney or Warner Bros., the animators on our film, in particular, are creating, designing, and animating their own sequences based on anecdotes from our protagonist's life that they most personally connect with and based on their aesthetic sensibilities and skill sets. Their unique sequences tied together in our documentary function as an anthology of animated sequences, each with their own unique styles and subject matters, telling one big story. Their contributions tell the story in a way that only animation can. Here are just a few of the many people helping to make Enongo into a reality...

Photo Credit: José Ginarte

Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo

Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo (a.k.a., SAMMUS) is an Ithaca-raised, Philadelphia-based rap artist, producer, and Ph.D. student in the Department of Science & Technology Studies at Cornell University. Known as much for her rousing stage presence as she is for her prowess as a beatmaker and lyricist, Enongo has spent the past several years cultivating a strong following of activists, hip hop heads, punks, and self-identified nerds and geeks, among others. As noted by the Los Angeles Times, Enongo “has a gift for getting a message across.” Having recently made her Don Giovanni debut (while remaining tied to NuBlack Music Group), she is poised to cement herself as an artist who consistently thinks outside boxes and dances across lines (and does other neat things with geometrical figures).

In addition to managing a full-time music career, Enongo has spent the past eight years as a public-school and college level educator. After graduating from Cornell University in 2008 with a double BA in Sociology and Science & Technology Studies, she was accepted into the national teaching program Teach for America and placed in Houston, Texas, where she taught elementary math and science between 2008 to 2010. In the fall semester of 2011, she returned to Cornell as a Ph.D. candidate to pursue an interest a wide array of sound studies topics, including sound and gaming as well as the identity politics of community studios. As an academic and very-vocal feminist, Enongo has produced articles for publications such as Bitch, For Harriet, Sounding Out!, and The Mary Sue related to issues of race, hip-hop, gaming, and feminism.

Enongo has given us a tremendous gift in allowing us to document her journey as our passion project. We cannot thank her enough for her generosity, trust, and kindness.

For more information on Enongo/Sammus, check out her official website: www.sammusmusic.com

Dan Haskett — Senior Character Designer & Animation Mentor

Dan Haskett is a veteran animator, director, and character designer who has been in the industry for over 50 years, and is a pioneering African-American artist in the field. He is best known as the designer of two of Disney’s classic female leads, Ariel from The Little Mermaid (1989) and Belle from Beauty and the Beast (1991). Dan is also responsible for designing key characters from The Simpsons (including Moe the bartender and Barney the drunk) and various characters in Toy Story (1995). Dan’s first job in animation was at the age of 17, and was hired as an assistant animator on master animator Richard Williams’ New York-based production, Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977) at just 23 years old. He has since worked for virtually every major animation company across. North America, including (but not limited to) Disney, Pixar, Warner Bros., DreamWorks Animation, and Hanna-Barbera. He has also directed original animated shorts for Sesame Street.

Initial character design sketches for Enongo by Dan Haskett, December 2018. He still works exclusively on pencil and animation paper to this day.

Dan’s five decades of knowledge and experience have laid a creative foundation for our young animation team by providing the initial character designs of our protagonist. You can see Dan’s designs of her above and on our Instagram, @EnongoMovie: https://www.instagram.com/p/Br3glgFlDxM/

Christa Carr — Animation Artist & Animator

Christa is a Los Angeles-based animator, character designer, and color stylist. She graduated from the renowned Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, with highest honors, and also had the opportunity of studying abroad for a semester at the Musashino Art University in Japan, where she honed her skills in design and personality-based animation. A gamer herself, Christa is designing, storyboarding, and animating a scene about how primitive video games and their music inspired Enongo at a young age.

"A major goal in my career as an artist is to provide representation for Black women and show the multiplicity of our stories. Enongo has such a unique voice in hip hop music and I'm really looking forward to visualizing her journey."
– Christa Carr

More at www.christa-carr.com

Leah Coleman — Animation Artist & Animator

Leah is currently seeking her Master’s in Animation at Ohio State University. Previously, she attended Miami University and studied at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. Inspired by her appreciation for both classic Western and Asian traditional animation masters, Leah has a refined talent for fluid, feature-quality character animation. Leah’s sequence explores Enongo’s anxieties over her relationships, career, and academic obligations, which parallels Leah's own life.

“It is truly an exciting opportunity to not only work on this documentary about a black woman and her journey through life, but also working with other Black women animators. I always talked about not having a chance to meet or find many women like me in a field dominated by the majority. Enongo will be an emotional journey for all of us, I think, because we are all going through that struggle of life, trying to figure out who we are, what our purpose is, and Enongo shows that in both her personal life and music. To have the opportunity to express her life through animation, is something I will do my best to reflect as best to her character as I possibly can!”
– Leah Coleman

More at www.leahcoleman15.com

Jessica Honore — Animator

Located in Queens, New York, Jessica graduated from the prestigious School of Visual Arts in 2011. Since then, she has worked with animation studios such as Cartuna and Titmouse, bringing to life such shows as China, IL, Superjail!, and Ballmastrz 9009 for [adult swim], and DreamWorks Animation's Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh on Netflix. Jessica (a big fan of video games) is animating a sequence of young Enongo imagining the dark and thrilling video game world of Super Metroid.

"As soon as I heard of Enongo, I was intrigued. It's not every day you hear of someone with so many talents and skills. I'm excited to be a part of the team that helps bring her story to life for the masses!"
– Jessica Honore

You can see Jessica's superb character animation reel here: https://vimeo.com/259947808

Brooklyn Lee — Animation Artist & Animator

Brooklyn is a Baltimore-based animator with a tremendous talent in charismatic character design and illustration. After working on numerous commercial assignments, Enongo will be her well-deserved feature-length debut. Brooklyn is designing, storyboarding, and animating a sequence about Enongo’s childhood, and how she felt like an outsider in Upstate New York as a daughter of West African immigrants.

“Working on a film about a fellow Black female artist fills me with so much joy. Enongo’s music is so inspiring and I can’t wait to share her story through my art.”
– Brooklyn Lee

More at www.bmoranlee.art

Shammah McVay — Associate Producer / Animation Artist & Animator

Shammah is an animator and designer living in Columbus, Ohio, and has studied at the Columbus College of Art & Design. Her work often explores themes of identity and representation in media. Shammah’s animated sequence concerns a deadly battle with depression, an experience that mirrors her own. In addition to being an animator and animation artist, Shammah is working on Enongo as an associate producer, aiding in outreach and fundraising.

“Once I heard [Sammus' song] 'Mighty Morphing' for the first time, it resonated on a spiritual level; it was me described so eloquently. Enongo is unapologetically Black, yet not afraid to be vulnerable. Her story is inspiring and I'm honored to work on this project. This film is needed.”
– Shammah McVay

More at https://www.instagram.com/shashestar/

Ruby Myles — Animator

Ruby is a Columbus, Ohio-based illustrator, animator and visual development artist who studied at the Columbus College of Art and Design. With a strong film and theatre background, she has been allowed the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects and hone her skills. Ruby will be animating with Shammah McVay on one of the film's most challenging and important sequences.

"Growing up as a singer myself, it was so incredibly easy to connect with Enongo. To have that initial connection, as well as feel and understand the story of a woman who looks like myself, and thousands of other Black girls in the world, was enough to feel I HAD to take part in whatever way I could. I am so excited and honored to be a part of such a history-making project!"
– Ruby Myles

More at www.rubymyles.com & https://www.instagram.com/ruemarieart/

Ariel Paxton — Animation Artist & Animator

After completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Art Institute of Atlanta, Ariel is now in her final quarter of achieving her Master's Degree of Fine Arts in Animation at the acclaimed Savannah College of Art & Design. Ariel is a prolific and talented 2D animator and storyboard artist with a remarkable visual flair for design. Ariel is animating a sequence about how becoming a teacher for underserved students eventually led Enongo to discover the power of music. Ariel herself has been an art teacher to young children, and is applying this experience to her sequence.

"I wanted to be a part of this project because I love the style and feel of the documentary. Since I'm a 2D animator, I wanted to provide great visuals to go with this great film."
– Ariel Paxton

More at https://www.arielpaxton.com/

Anaiyah Tatiana — Animation Artist & Animator

Born and raised in The Bronx, Anaiyah is an emerging character animator with an astonishing skill at personality-driven, fluid animation. She has worked on animated TV shows including Livespots and Astronots and Monologue. She was also the lead animator on the documentary-animation hybrid short, Ballet After Dark, which had its world premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and was presented by Queen Latifah and Dee Rees. Anaiyah is working on a sequence about the relationship between Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo and her fiancé, author Lanre Akinsiku.

"I’m really excited about this project because I love traditional animation and for a while I was afraid the hand-drawn style would die out. It’s so exciting being part of a resurgence in appreciation for this style. I’m also looking forward to participating in this new wave of filmmaking where, not only are people of color being represented on screen, but we also have the chance to work behind the scenes, too, and help with the accuracy of that representation."

– Anaiyah Tatiana

More at https://www.instagram.com/anaiyahtatiana/

Patricia Battles — Motion Graphics Artist

Inspired by a myriad of art styles from the Disney animation renaissance of the 1990s and retro video games including Tomb Raider and Sonic the Hedgehog to graffiti art and Lisa Frank aesthetics, Patricia is a talented animator, illustrator, and motion graphics artist who has a phenomenal sense of color, design, and motion permeating all of her art. She studied at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York CIty and later transferred to The University of the Arts in Philadelphia on a Presidential Scholarship majoring in animation, and has since become a verified artist on Giphy.

"Being a part of the Enongo team feels too surreal: like being drafted into the NBA All Star League guided by 2 of the most amazing coaches on the planet (Dan Haskett & Kevin Schreck) with the MVP being Sammus! Being able to collaborate with a super talented crew of black women animators that I've gotten to know and admire feels very comforting; a sisterhood I never thought I would experience during my lifetime. With the current political climate, the BLM movement making a huge resurgence & the global pandemic affecting everyone's life in 2020, I'm extremely thankful and grateful to share with the crew and the world the very thing that has motivated me at a tender age and has been a constant source of therapy to get through hard times: creating art from the soul <3"

– Patricia Battles

More at: https://www.patriciabattles.com/

EmmoLei Sankofa — Composer

EmmoLei is an American composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, sound artist, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles, CA. Her work stretches across music, visual media, and fine art. EmmoLei founded Bèl Son, a creative audio collective, in which she has worked with some of the best emerging filmmakers on a wide variety of award-winning films and visual media projects for top brands. Her discography encompasses over sixteen independently released albums, EP’s and singles collectively. EmmoLei has honed her craft as a mentee under renowned composer Michael Abels (celebrated for his work on Jordan Peele's acclaimed films, Get Out and Us). Enongo will be EmmoLei’s first feature-length film, and connects deeply to our protagonist's creative ambitions and struggles in the music industry. (She is also a long-time Sammus fan.)

"What's most exciting to me about being able to work on this documentary is that I feel deeply connected to Enongo's journey. I can relate to her in quite a few ways and am honored to channel that energy musically. Additionally, this will be my first feature film, so I am thrilled to push and stretch my creative muscles alongside a host of other talented artists."
– EmmoLei Sankofa

More at www.e-sankofa.com

Kevin Schreck — Director / Producer / Editor

Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kevin Schreck is an award-winning documentary filmmaker currently living and working in Brooklyn, New York. Kevin received both the Jerome Hill Award for Exceptional Work in the Documentary Tradition and the Award for Contribution to the Film and Electronic Arts Department of Bard College in 2011. His first major feature-length documentary, Persistence of Vision, was about the life of master animator Richard Williams (Who Framed Roger Rabbit) and his 30-year quest to create his ultimately ill-fated magnum opus, The Thief and the Cobbler. Persistence of Vision screened at over 70 international film festivals and other venues on five continents to virtually universal acclaim, and became the first film to win both of the top prizes at the 2013 Buffalo International Film Festival: the Audience Award for Best of Festival and the Audience Award for Best Documentary.

"I wanted to make this film because I'm drawn to stories about creative people. But I rarely see stories about artists like Enongo spotlighted in mainstream movies. So, I wanted to amplify Enongo's incredible story while simultaneously giving an opportunity to artists who can tell it best, based on their unique talents and visions. I am honored and humbled to collaborate with an extraordinary team of animators and artists who deeply connect with Enongo's journey. We're all excited to help give Enongo's story the presentation it deserves."
– Kevin Schreck

More at www.KevinSchreck.com

We hope that supporting this inspiring story about an exciting, original, and relevant young artist and her fascinating personal journey will be a perk itself, but we love to reward our backers for their tremendous generosity and immense enthusiasm, too! You'll be eligible to receive tons of exciting perks for your contributions to this Indiegogo campaign, such as:

The Fan Level: “Thank You!” Drawing - $10

A special digital “Thank You” drawing from one of our animators, plus first access to behind-the-scenes updates and artwork.