Kiliwe the Timebender - animated short

Kiliwe the TimeBender is a visually representative, indigenous, educational, and entertaining tale about a 7-year-old Nigerian girl with a mystery clock in Kambili Town, the big and not-so-big obstacles she has to overcome in her daily life, and the lessons on tolerance, forgiveness, boldness, persistence, and friendship that we all learn from her capers. The show’s driving force struggles with a learning disability and the multi-faceted series teaches empathy and life skills across ethnicities that will deepen children’s knowledge of their unity in diversity.

  • Jennifer Nkemdilim Eneanya
    Director
    Relive, Stay Burns Free
  • Jennifer Nkemdilim Eneanya
    Writer
    Zena, For My Girls, The Mismatched, Siimple People, Dede's Bride, Pushing 30, Win A Heart
  • Jennifer Eneanya
    Producer
    The Corper, Kai Amariya, Relive, Stay Burns Free
  • Jada Kambili Eneanya
    Key Cast
    "Kiliwe"
  • Ashford Etela
    Key Cast
    "Papi"
  • Tobi Oyedele
    Key Cast
    "Mami"
  • Jennifer Eneanya
    Key Cast
    "Kobi"
  • Erica Oyedele
    Key Cast
    "Tiwa"
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 43 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 14, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Nigeria
  • Country of Filming:
    Nigeria
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jennifer Nkemdilim Eneanya

Jennifer Nkem-Eneanya is a Creative Director, Screenwriter, and Communications Professional with over a decade of work experience in several media outfits as an Editor-in-Chief, Features Editor, Screenwriter, Director, and Producer. She is the Creator of the Kiliwe the Timebender animated series and has written and directed other animated productions. A registered member of the Screenwriters Guild of Nigeria with a filmmaking certification from Le Cinefabrique, Lyon, France, and a Screenwriting for Animation certification from the Storytellers Pod, South Africa, her screenwriting credits include several feature films, TV series, and short films. She also has a certification in Journalism and Social Media from the African Institute of Media Studies, and an MBA from UNICAF University Zambia.
Her filmography spans feature films, TV series including MNET’s Tinsel, TV commercials, advocacy, and animation writing. Some of her feature film screenwriting credits include Dede’s Bride (which addresses child marriage), Win A Heart, Simple People, The Mismatched, False Doors (which tackles domestic violence), For My Girls (which evaluates the scourge of baby factories), The Secret Life of a Troll, Zuriel’s Diary (which speaks on child sexual abuse), The Housekeeper’s Daughter, Zena and Aladinma (which addresses issues around women’s inheritance rights).
She has also written, produced, and directed a short film entitled ‘Relive’ about sexual and gender-based violence with a particular focus on victim blaming, an advocacy animated short for the Jocaz Research Group in partnership with the Nigerian Burn Society entitled ‘Stay Burn Free’ as well as several explainer animated videos.

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Director Statement

Animation was my answer to creativity using a visual medium that could be manipulated, tweaked, and adjusted without recourse to the natural laws of physics. I was equally fascinated by the intricacies of assigning near-human characteristics to digitally generated characters. The flexibility of animation and its particular ability to appeal to children made it a natural choice when we ventured into creating visually representative, indigenous, and impactful edutainment for children and teenagers. Growing up in the era of Captain Planet (the first animated environmental advocate), Voltron – defender of the universe –, Super TED and Street Fighter, I know the lure that animation holds and I was interested in telling stories through animation that my 10-year-old daughter and boys and girls like her could relate to, while maintaining the integrity of our culture and history. The versatility of animation as a tool for advocacy, entertainment, and education is sorely underrated within the Nigerian media industry and as a storyteller, I am invested in making content that showcases animation in its varied forms.

This project is important to us as there is the urgent need to harvest the under-served niche of children's content in Africa by creating visually and culturally relatable, indigenous content - via animation or live action. This particular story serves the triple purpose of advocacy for children, education and entertainment.