Heads-up women animators: Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia is now accepting animated short film submissions for its 2017 “Moore Women Artists Film Festival: Women in Animation.” The fest will take place during Women’s History Month, from March 23–26 in Philly.
“Continuing to honor its legacy as the first and only all women’s visual arts college in the US,” the announcement in Animation Magazine reads, “the school’s second Moore Women Artists Film Festival will showcase women working in the ever-growing animation industry. The theme aligns with Moore’s first graduating class of its Animation & Game Arts program. The festival will include feature length and short films, ranging from early animation to contemporary work for video games and interactive projects, as well as lectures and panels.”
Other highlights of the fest will include Emily Hubley presenting the work of her mother, the late animator Faith Hubley, who was honored at festivals like Cannes, Venice, London, and San Francisco, and won 14 CINE Golden Eagle awards. Screenings include Latvian filmmaker Signe Baumane’s “Rocks in My Pocket;” Paper Red founding member Jessica Ciocci’s “Animation Mix Tape;” Asian-Canadian filmmaker, writer, and visual artist Ann Marie Fleming’s “Window Horses;” and the panel “Game Changers: Women Making Games” with Kat Webster (Bioware) and Lauren Brown (EA games).
Animation is an area of the filmmaking industry where women are severely underrepresented. A record 27 features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the the 2017 Oscar Race, but only two of them are directed or co-directed by women, amounting to seven percent of the contenders. Eight of the 27 films submitted are written or co-written by women, about 30 percent of the slate. Only two women directors have won Oscars for Best Animated Film since the category was introduced in 2002: Brenda Chapman won for co-directing “Brave,” and Jennifer Lee for co-directing “Frozen.” So let’s help get some more women into the field, and hopefully those numbers will change.
The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2016. Head to Moore College’s website for more information and to submit films.
