This is a major recognition for Mounia Aram, a Franco-Moroccan carving her path in the selective world of animation. Her mission: to develop animation cinema in Africa and create opportunities in the region. She was honored at the Black in Animation Awards Show for her dedication and body of work. Her commitment is clear: she wants Africa-made heroes to inspire children, youth, and adults worldwide.

The jury included prominent figures in the animation industry such as Camille Eden (VP of Recruiting and Talent Development at Nickelodeon), Nicole Rivera (Vice President, Original Series Development at Cartoon Network), Lynne Southerland (Director/Showrunner), Sidney Clifton (EP at Jim Henson & Deluxe Animation), Supervising Producer at BWA Studios, Carl Reed (President, Lion Forge Animation), Jinko Gotoh (Producer, Netflix), and Marlon West (Head of Effects, Disney).

Mounia Aram, born in Casablanca, originally from Agadir, and raised in Trappes (Yvelines, France), is an animation specialist with nearly 20 years of experience in the industry. After studying oriental languages at INALCO – Paris, she had the opportunity to join ShoPro Entertainment, a company specialized in Japanese animation based in San Francisco. This marked the beginning of her career in the industry, which she has pursued ever since.

Throughout her career, she has been involved in multiple aspects of distribution and production worldwide, from Europe to Asia, the United States, and Africa. She observed that while certain cultures are well represented globally — like Japanese animation — and some countries are renowned for the quality of their work — like France, Canada, or the United States — Africa is almost entirely unrepresented. She decided to tackle this issue by founding Mounia Aram Company in 2019, a company specializing in the distribution and production of African animation and African culture. She also advises companies on content distribution strategies and development on the African continent and participates in workshops to train young African talent.

A laureate of Meet Africa, she is supported in opening a subsidiary in Morocco (planned for 2022), which will take the form of an Animation Studio producing African animated series and providing service support to foreign studios. In addition, Mounia was elected in September 2020 as a member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, organizer of the Emmy Awards ceremonies, and in 2021 she joined the Geena Davis Institute as Africa Council Chair. Finally, in November 2021, she won the Black in Animation Award in the Cultural Innovator category.