WORLDFEST AWARDS THE CANADIAN-SOUTH AFRICAN ANIMATED SERIES THE PLATINUM REMI AWARD

REMI Award, WORLDFEST

Houston, Texas, May 1, 2006:  Magic Cellar, the first animated series to be based on African culture, has been awarded the Platinum REMI Award at WORLDFEST®.

Magic Cellar was awarded the Platinum REMI award as the top entry in the Animated category at WorldFest, Houston.  The award to Magic Cellar was presented in Houston, Texas, USA 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.  Magic Cellar 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.

WorldFest, the premiere film and video festival in North America, has discovered since 1967 some of the top directors and filmmakers in the world today, having presented awards to George Lucas, David Lynch, Spike Lee, Ang Lee, Ridley Scott, Steven Spielberg and Oliver Stone, among many others.  WorldFest is the third oldest film festival in North America.

Magic Cellar is Africa’s first 3D animated series.  Beautifully produced entirely in Maya software, the series marks the first time Africa’s children will see themselves reflected in an animated series.

The series celebrates Africa’s 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 lessens learnt.  Each episode is a self-contained, animated short.

Magic Cellar was commissioned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation and is a production of Chocolate Moose Media Inc. of Ottawa, Canada and Morula Pictures of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Magic Cellar can be seen on SABC 2 on Saturdays at 14:15, with a repeat on Sunday mornings at 06:15.

Further information may be obtained from the comprehensive web-site, www.magiccellar.tv.

For additional information and interviews please contact:

In Canada:  Firdaus J. Kharas. Director and Executive Producer. Tel: (1)(613) 820-6121 Fax: (1)(613) 820-4679 e-mail: contact@kharas.ca

In South Africa:  Elanie J. v Rensburg. Production Co-ordinator. Tel: (011) 482 1152/ 082 561 5192 e-mail: elanie@morula.co.za