The 8TH Annual WIA World Summit at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival took place on Monday, the 10th of June, and was a tremendous success. Tackling the theme, ‘Stronger Together: The Equitable Future of Animation,’ the day-long symposium of panels and focused conversations featuring key thought leaders, filmmakers, and executives from around the world who discussed emerging industry innovations and the power of community in the evolving animation landscape and how the support gender equity in animation.
Participants included:
- Agnes Soyode-Johnson, CEO of Limitless Studio
- Deepa Joshi, Co-CEO of Incessant Rains Studio
- Ramsey Naito, President of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation
- Patricia Hidalgo, Director of Children’s & Education at BBC
- Marta Balaga, Variety journalist
- Vivienne Medrano, Showrunner, Writer, and Creator of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss
- Yukiko Koike, CFO/Managing Director of Studio Chizu
- Kate O’Connor, Executive Chair of Animation UK
- Karen Troop, Executive Producer of Passion Games
- Melanie Hoyes, Director of Inclusion of the British Film Institute
- Rachel Appleton, Senior Director, Media & Entertainment Business Strategy at Autodesk
- Janet Lewin, Senior Vice President of Lucasfilm Visual Effects / General Manager of Industrial Light & Magic
- Karen Dufilho, producer at House of K
- André Luís, Co-Founder and CEO of Trojan Horse, was a Unicorn
The 300+ seat room was at capacity throughout all four sessions of the day, and hundreds of additional people from different countries watched the World Summit via live stream. The diverse crowd consisted of people of all genders, races, and nationalities interested in the power of inclusive stories in animation.
During the event, we announced that our WIA Membership Fund applications had officially opened. In 2023, WIA launched the Membership Fund, raising more than $50,000 to support 1,000 community members with a 12-month WIA Creator Level Membership at no cost. This fund provides opportunities for aspiring creators who may face financial barriers. It’s a direct investment in their dreams, allowing them to access necessary resources and support.
We are grateful to our Global Fund Donors for their continued support, making the WIA World Summit possible. We’d also like to thank our panelists, participants, attendees, and community members who support our mission of bringing together a global community of animation professionals to empower and support people of underrepresented gender identities in the art, science, and business of animation by increasing access to resources, creating education opportunities, encouraging strong connections between individuals and inspiring excellence.
