Women In Animation has set its program for the first-ever Women In Animation Virtual Summit which will run in collaboration with the Annecy International Animation Film Festival’s 2020 online edition. WIA has previously had a significant presence at Annecy, and this year will focus on themes surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and the recently reinvigorated global call for social justice — and their effects on the animation industry.

The Women in Animation Virtual World Summit will be posted on Annecy Online on June 17, and will be available for festival and Mifa badgeholders to view across the two week event. WIA will also make the Summit available to their members and more widely at a later date.

Panels will include “Black Women in Animation: Looking to the Future,” which will focus on personal stories and experiences and address being colorblind versus color affirmative, the importance of finding voice on both the executive and creative side, and the power of animation to make an impact through freedom of imagination to create more ideal and more representational worlds, WIA said today.

“Intersectionality and Solidarity” will highlight the value of intersectional solidarity in the current civil rights movement, and that the shared experience of struggle in the system, support and solutions can help each other thrive.

“Producing in a Rapidly Changing World” will see female leaders from various disciplines in the industry share their perspectives and best practices in a world challenged by pandemic.

“Artists Creating from Home: A Series of Home Studio Visits” will offer a glimpse into artists’ workspaces from around the world. 

Participants include talent and executives from Nickelodeon, Netflix, Sony Pictures Animation, Disney and Gaumont, among others.

WIA President Marge Dean says, “The world discourse suddenly shifted when we all saw George Floyd brutally murdered by police in Minneapolis. We knew that we needed to pivot from our original program for the World Summit at Annecy to address the issues of work, race and solidarity. We are using this global platform to give women of color the opportunity to talk about their experiences and how they see that the animation industry needs to change in order to be fully diverse, inclusive and humane.”

Producer Jinko Gotoh, who also serves as WIA’s Vice President, adds, “Animation is a platform to share all kinds of stories and messages. In today’s world, we need authentic voices from people of color now more than ever. The MeToo movement finally broke the silence around sexual discrimination. I truly hope that the current movement for social justice does the same for anti-blackness and racism.”

The annual Annecy fest takes place each summer in the southeast of France. However, this year it is moving online given the coronavirus crisis and will run with a 20-film competition from June 15-30.