WIA World Summit at Annecy 2023 Recap

In line with the Festival’s celebration of ‘Pride and Diversity,’ the 7^th annual Summit, presented both in-person and virtually, boasted an enthusiastic and engaged crowd with a common interest in elevating diversity in animation to achieve authenticity in storytelling.

(From L-R) CITIA CEO, Mickaël Marin, and WIA President and Head of Animation Studio, Skybound Entertainment, Marge Dean.

The seventh annual WIA World Summit at the Annecy 2023 took place on June 12, 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 worldwide discussing gender justice — a system of equity and fairness for people of all genders, gender identities, and presentations. The program aligned with the Annecy Festival’s celebration of ‘Pride and Diversity,’ a theme central to this year’s event.

Presented in partnership with Woman In Animation (WIA) and GLAAD - the world’s largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization - the event opened with GLAAD’s Senior Director of Entertainment, Megan Townsend, sharing a thought-provoking educational presentation, ‘Unpacking: What is Gender?’ The program culminated with an insightful question-and-answer session.

The 300+ seat room was close to capacity throughout the day, with hundreds of additional people across 13 countries following and viewing via livestream. The diverse crowd attending was made up of people of all genders, races, and nationalities who expressed 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 to stream on the WIA website.