Women in Animation (WIA) and Les Femmes s’Animent (LFA) have revealed some details of the third annual Women in Animation World Summit, presented in conjunction with the Annecy International Animation Festival and Mifa 2019. The Summit will take place on Monday, June 10 at the Impérial Palace Hotel and will feature a day-long symposium of panels and discussions spotlighting top executives and filmmakers from around the world, exploring the theme of “Belonging.”
The event will kick off with an introduction by Julie Ann Crommett, Vice President of Multicultural Audience Engagement at the Walt Disney Studios and WIA secretary, explaining this year’s theme. A key highlight of the program will be a presentation by Dr. Stacy L. Smith on the results of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative’s landmark study focused on women in the animation industry, entitled “Increasing Inclusion in Animation.”
The study was conducted in partnership with Women in Animation and examines the percentage of women working in key animation roles in film and television, the barriers and opportunities facing women as they pursue careers in animation, and the classroom-to-career pipeline for women.
“For the last year, we have had the honor and privilege to collaborate with Dr. Smith and USC Annenberg on this groundbreaking study,” said WIA President Marge Dean. “We look forward to bringing the findings of this important study to the Annecy Animation Festival, the most important global gathering of the animation industry, and discussing next steps with leaders in the world of animation from then on.”
“Partnering with Women in Animation allowed us to engage in a broad investigation of the animation industry to understand the particular challenges facing women, animation companies, and educational organizations at this juncture,” noted Dr. Smith, Founder & Director of the Inclusion Initiative. “We are excited to share the results of the study and to work together to create solutions that move the industry forward and accelerate change.”
WIA Vancouver Chair Rose-Ann Tisserand will present WIA Vancouver and Women in View’s “BC’s Five in Focus: Animation,” a program featuring the chapter’s innovative program to aid five women across various filmmaking roles in creating original animated shorts. French actress-producer Julie Gayet will also give a keynote address talking about her advocacy for women, both in the film business and society at large, and will share insights from the making of her film Cinéast(e)s.
A series of panels throughout the day will also highlight the theme of “Belonging,” which will address the feeling of being personally accepted, respected, included and supported in the workplace.
“We feel we are now in a new phase in which a more balanced world is taking root,” commented Corinne Kouper, President of LFA. “This change is quite tangible and inevitable, and we never thought this would happen so fast. We are very excited to see new rules and reflexes emerging. I am very happy to explore this year’s joyful theme of increasing our sense of Belonging rather than defining our differences.”
You can find out more about this summit at https://www.annecy.org/programme:evtm
