Women in Animation and GLADD join forces for an in-depth look at ‘Break the Box: Redefining Gender and Leadership’ with key industry leaders joining the conversation; the festival runs June 11-17.
Woman In Animation (WIA) is joining forces with GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization, to bring this year’s WIA World Summit to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Mifa 2023. The event’s theme, “Break the Box: Redefining Gender and Leadership,” will be discussed by this year’s special guests, including ND Stevenson, Vicky Jenson, Ramsey Naito, Anna Ginsburg, and Nora Twomey.
The 47th edition of the festival runs June 11-17.
“WIA is proud to collaborate with GLAAD in service of our shared vision of gender justice in animation,” said Marge Dean, WIA President. “We look forward to gathering so many key thought leaders to discuss this year’s theme, ‘Break the Box: Redefining Gender and Leadership.’ The day will be filled with thought-provoking, robust discussions on the complexity of gender, including all the amazing things that can happen in our industry when people break free from stereotypes and societal expectations.”
“I’m so excited to be joining WIA for a day full of impactful conversations on gender and storytelling,” said Megan Townsend, GLAAD’s Senior Director of Entertainment Research and Analysis. “As we see an increase in anti-LGBTQ bills here in the U.S., authentic and inclusive storytelling is more impactful than ever in both combatting disinformation and uplifting our voices. The inclusive animated films and series highlighted at Annecy and through WIA’s work will be seen by audiences of all ages across the world and can spark conversations that accelerate acceptance for families of all kinds.”
“Breaking the gender boxes we've all been put into at some point in our lives is critical to moving toward gender justice and equity,” Julie Ann Crommett, WIA Secretary/DEI Chair and Founder and CEO Collective Moxie, said. “We must collectively, across gender identities, question how we define a ‘good leader’ or ‘who can do what job in animation’ or ‘how we express ourselves,’ so we can achieve true equity and a better, more prosperous industry for all.”
“With the entire Annecy team, we are happy and honored to host the WIA World Summit. Once again, the program for this day will be an opportunity to share ideas around the concerns of our time to build a better world and a better industry,” CITIA CEO Mickaël Marin said. This year, we are doubling our forces since the World Summit will resonate particularly with the theme of Annecy 2023: Animation Pride & Diversity.”
The seventh annual WIA World Summit takes place on Monday, June 12, at the Impérial Palace Hotel (Allée de l'Impérial, 74000 Annecy) and will feature a day-long symposium of panels and focused conversations spotlighting filmmakers and executives from around the world discussing gender justice. The event will be live streamed and available to the public via the WIA website from 9:30 am - 5:30 pm CEST/12:30 am - 7:30 am PST, with a lunch break from 12:20-2:30 pm CEST. It will also be recorded and posted on the WIA website for subsequent viewing.
Here's the official June 12 program lineup:
Welcome from WIA and Annecy Festival
WIA President Marge Dean and CITIA CEO Mickaël Marin welcome viewers and attendees.
SESSION 1 - Unpacking: What is Gender?
Description: This educational session led by Megan Townsend, GLAAD Senior Director of Entertainment Research & Analysis, unpacks the language and universal assumptions of gender, the ways we’re all impacted by those assumptions, and how we can move closer to the reality of gender justice in our global industry.
SESSION 2 - Authentic Storytelling
Description: Our experiences, values, and identities are foundational to the stories we tell. This panel, moderated by Tendayi Nyeke and including Paula Boffo, Creative Director at Ojo Raro, cartoonist and writer Molly Knox Ostertag, and writer and animator Leslie Pulsifer, explores how gender shapes who we are and the stories and art we create as a result.
SESSION 3 - Leading Diverse Creative Teams
Description: Leading creative teams comes with unique rewards and challenges, especially when the stories shared are deeply personal. This panel, moderated by WIA President, Marge Dean, examines how leaders can reject gendered expectations and harness the creative power of a diverse team. Panelists include Emilie Walmsley, Head of Animation for Eddy Animation; ND Stevenson, author and illustrator of Nimona and creator/showrunner of She-Ra: Princesses of Power; award-winning filmmaker and director at Strange Beast Anna Ginsburg; and Noriko Matsumoto, Executive Producer, and Brand Director at Dwarf Studio.
SESSION 4 - Redefining Risk as Investment
Description: Risk and failure are integral parts of the creative process. This session explores the inequitable effects of success and failure for creative leaders who are historically underrepresented in our industry. What can we learn when things don’t go as planned? How can we reframe risk and failure to create a more equitable industry?
Moderated by Julie Ann Crommett, this panel features Deepa Joshi, Co-CEO of Incessant Rain animation studios; Nosipho Maketo-van den Bragt, President and Founder of Chocolate Tribe; Lou Bones, Creative Talent Director at PSYOP; and the director of Shrek and the upcoming Spellbound, Vicky Jenson.
Closing Fireside Chat - Authentic Leadership
Description: In this fireside chat, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation President Ramsey Naito and Cartoon Saloon Co-Founder & Creative Director Nora Twomey will examine creative leadership through the lens of gender and explore what is possible when we embrace authentic leadership styles. In addition, the chat will explore how leaders who break the box can effectively collaborate to make sustainable changes in their organizations and industry.
Get additional information about the WIA World Summit here.
Source: WIA
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
