Lola Aikins is a director of animated films, visual development artist and 2D animator whose work centres on authentic African aesthetics in animation. She is currently directing her first professional short film, Naledi, whose trailer won Best Animation at the 2023 Fak’ugesi Awards.

Alongside directing, Aikins specialises in environment design and brings a strong visual storytelling perspective to her work. Her practice is shaped by a commitment to building a richer identity for animation coming from Africa through stories and characters rooted in lived cultural experience.

At SACC, Aikins will join Women Leading the Narrative Shift and Funding the Impossible - Crowdfunding & Alternative Financing for Shorts, where she will share insights on authorship, representation and the realities of financing independent animated filmmaking.