ANNECY 2023: WIA World Summit recap
Skwigly
The seventh annual WIA World Summit at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival took place on Monday the 12th of June and was a tremendous success. Tackling the theme, ‘Break the Box: Redefining Gender and Leadership,’ the day-long symposium of panels and focused conversations spotlighted key thought leaders, filmmakers and executives from around the world discussing gender justice — a system of equity and fairness for people of all genders, gender identities and presentations.
Image courtesy of Women in Animation, ©Estelle-Perdu
WIA was especially pleased to join forces with GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization, for the first time this year to bring the 7th Annual World Summit to the Annecy International Animation Festival and Mifa 2023. Megan Townsend, GLAAD’s Senior Director of Entertainment Research and Analysis led the crowd in a thought-provoking educational opening, ‘Unpacking: What is Gender?’ Townsend’s talk culminated in an astute question-and-answer session.
The 300+ seat room was close to capacity throughout the entire day, with hundreds of additional people across 13 different countries following and viewing via live stream. The crowd was made up of people of all genders, races, and nationalities who had a genuine interest in the power of inclusive stories in animation. The speakers explored the variety of ways in which authenticity—in storytelling, leadership, and beyond—can bring the animation industry to the next level of excellence.
The WIA World Summit 2023 is now available for viewing on the WIA website.