Joel Embiid Joins Anime Film Mfinda as Executive Producer, Companion Doc Announced
June 27, 2025
NBA MVP Joel Embiid boards anime film Mfinda as executive producer, alongside a new documentary Mfinda: Spirits of the Congo. GKIDS and anime legend Masao Maruyama also attached 🏀🌍 Joel Embiid Steps into Anime!
Philadelphia 76ers star and NBA MVP Joel Embiid has joined the anime world as executive producer of Mfinda, an upcoming feature film by Tokyo/LA-based studio N Lite 🎬✨
🔥 Quick Highlights:
🔹 Mfinda is set in 1970s Kinshasa and follows 13-year-old Odi, who escapes into the mystical forest during the Congo Crisis and is transported to the 1600s Kingdom of Kongo.
🔹 She joins forces with another lost girl to find a magical Nkisi that may help them return home.
🔹 A companion documentary, Mfinda: Spirits of the Congo, is also in production to explore the film’s cultural roots and behind-the-scenes journey.
🎙️ Executive Producers:
Joel Embiid (via Miniature Géant, in partnership with LeBron James’ Uninterrupted)
Viola Davis & Julius Tennon (JuVee Productions)
Masao Maruyama (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress)
Christiano Terry (N Lite founder, co-creator/writer/producer of Mfinda)
💬 “We built N Lite to tell stories we never saw growing up,” says Terry. “Joel Embiid and LeBron James are cultural leaders who understand the power of timeless storytelling.”
🎥 Streaming, studio, and release date TBA – but this African-inspired anime is shaping up to be one of 2025’s most ambitious and meaningful projects.