AfroAnimation, the largest annual summit featuring diverse, BIPOC and underrepresented animators, announced today its first in-person event will take place in Burbank, California from April 26-27. The summit, which last year welcomed roughly 5,000 virtual guests from around the world, will be held in the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel and Convention Center.
The 3rd Annual AfroAnimation Summit brings together a diverse coalition of 60+ industry speakers, including Academy Award winners, studio executives and recruiters from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., the Caribbean, Nigeria and South Africa, to discuss ways to increase inclusion and representation in the animation industry.
Kemp Powers and Peter Ramsey, two distinguished directors from Sony Pictures Animation’s Spider-Verse film franchise, along with the creators and directors of the upcoming Disney+ Original African sci-fi anthology Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, headline a powerful collection of industry speakers featured at AfroAnimation in 2023. During the in-person summit streamed live around the world, major Hollywood animation studio executives and recruiters will work to increase industry pathways for diverse creatives and connect, hire, network with and celebrate diverse talent.
“We created AfroAnimation in 2021 to help increase diversity in the animation industry and the response globally has been overwhelming,” said Keith White, Founder, AfroAnimation. “We’re proud to bring together a global team representing the entertainment industry this year, featuring a dynamic group of speakers, movie studio sponsors and awardees.”
This year’s event includes an awards ceremony honoring independent creators from around the world and panels covering myriad topics including, “The Pathway to a Career in Animation,” “Being Black in Animation” and “Increasing Storytelling by Women in Animation and Beyond.” It will also feature screenings of the year’s most anticipated animation film releases and the AfroAnimation Indie Short Film Awards honorees.
Returning studio partners include Netflix, DreamWorks Animation, Warner Bros. Animation, Nickelodeon, Sony Pictures Animation, Sony Imageworks, WildBrain, Titmouse Inc., Triggerfish Animation, and Disney Television Animation. Participating groups with a similar mission include ASIFA-Hollywood, American Film Showcase, Women in Animation, LatinX and Kickstarter.
“I am delighted by the growth of AfroAnimation this year. With the help of our sponsors and studio partners, we are doing our part to build a global animation community that reflects the world at large,” said Rio Cyrus, Co-Chair, AfroAnimation. “This is exactly why we embarked on this mission.”
