Award-Winning Short Film ‘Afro Algorithms’ Makes History as the First Sci-Fi Short Film on the Moon
This visionary 3D animation exploring artificial intelligence and the power of imagination is leaving a mark on this world–and beyond.
(SpaceX Launchpad | February 22nd, 2024) — Afro Algorithms, the 3D animated short film that explores the urgent issue of AI and bias, has always been ahead of its time. The project spotlighted the possibilities and perils of AI years before it hit the mainstream. Now, this prophetic work has made history by being onboard the first Moon mission for NASA and the USA since 1972.
The Afrofuturist short film, directed by filmmaker and futurist Anatola Araba, was invited to be one in 222 cultural artifacts that are a part of the revolutionary Lunaprise Museum, a permanent museum curated by Space Blue. This innovative space has a permanent home inside of Intuitive Machine’s Odysseus Lunar Lander, which left Earth’s orbit via the Space X Falcon 9 Rocket, with support from NASA, Space X, and Intuitive Machines. It took off on February 15th, 2024 at 1:05 AM EST and landed on the Moon on February 22nd, 2024.
Since it’s world premiere at Mozilla Festival in 2022, the film has screened and garnered praise at film festivals across the globe, including at New York City’s iconic Lincoln Center, Nigeria’s African International Film Festival (where it won an award for “Best International Animation), London’s Sci-Fi Film Festival, Toronto’s Inside Out Film Festival, Seattle’s National Film Festival for Talented Youth (where it won an audience award for “Best Animation”), Los Angeles’s Pan African Film Festival, and many more. It is remarkable for this story to have the opportunity to be a part of something greater than itself by being included in this historic Moon mission.
As a part of the Lunaprise Museum, Afro Algorithms will be preserved in a technology developed to last over 1 billion years in space. This includes a proprietary algorithm that compresses digital formats without sacrificing quality, while a high-precision laser engraves the binary data onto an indestructible nickel disk. This ensures humanity’s creative masterpieces are safeguarded on the Moon for future generations.
Other art included in the mission include BitBasel United Nations Sustainable Development Challenge Winners, Disney star Daniel Curtis Lee, Kelly Max & Samy Halim’s Modernist Art and Collections, award-winning documentary film and Sundance Winner “Climate Refugees I,” beats from multi-Grammy-winning producer Timbaland, Scott Page (Pink Floyd), seven-time Grammy-winning producer Malik Yusef (known for collaborations with “Beyonce”), and many more.
The cosmic journey of Afro Algorithms is a testament not only to the boundless frontier of space, but also the infinite horizon of human imagination. The project will honor serve as a timecapsule for the profound impact of AI technology in our era, the value of historically marginalized stories and perspectives, and the power of imagination in building a better future. In doing so, it can stand the test of time and serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration for generations to come.
Watch Afro Algorithms (Runtime 13:07) now on DUST or KweliTV.
Press contact:
Anatola Araba | anatola@anatolaaraba.com
About Afro Algorithms
This 3D animated short film in the Afro-Futurist genre explores topics of AI and bias. In a distant future, an artificial intelligence named Aero is inaugurated as the world’s first AI leader. However, she soon finds that important worldviews are missing from her databank, including the stories of the historically marginalized and oppressed. A slate of well-known Black actors lend their voices to the film, including Robin Quivers, Ava Raiin, and Hoji Fortuna.
Filmmaker Biography — Anatola Araba:
Anatola is an artist, futurist, and award-winning filmmaker. She’s also the founder of Reimagine Story Lab, an innovation hub pushing the boundaries of storytelling by fusing art and technology.
She explores our most pressing issues, from artificial intelligence bias to climate change, through sci-fi storytelling, immersive experiences, and multi-media journalism. Her film, Afro Algorithms, uses science fiction as a vehicle to uncover important issues about race, technology, and where humanity is driving the future of our planet.
Anatola has given talks at the United Nations and leading Universities. Her art has been exhibited in the MoMA in NYC, her films have been shown at Lincoln Center, and her writing published in ELLE and Harper’s Bazaar. Anatola’s passion is to inform, inspire, and reimagine the world as it could be.
