Annecy 2025 doubles down on gender equity in animation with global programmes and strong data benchmarks

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2025 is reaffirming its long-term commitment to gender equality in the animation industry, marking ten years since its landmark 2015 edition dedicated entirely to women in animation. With a decade of consistent progress, the festival is taking this milestone as an opportunity to not only take stock but to push further toward equity, visibility, and influence for women across all areas of the animation ecosystem.

“In 2015, Annecy Festival devoted an entire edition to women in animation,” said Mickaël Marin, CEO of CITIA, the organization behind the festival. “Since then, we have relentlessly continued in this vein… to clearly assert our desire to give pride of place to works, voices and careers of women in our industry.” This year’s edition introduces a renewed wave of initiatives, including curated screenings, industry panels, and international partnerships that shine a light on both progress made and the work still ahead.

Recent data from the French Ministry of Culture’s Observatoire 2025 de l'égalité entre femmes et hommes reveals the complex picture of parity in animation. Women represented 46% of directors in animated short films in 2023, but their share drops sharply to 27% when it comes to feature films approved by the CNC, up from just 21% in 2013. A separate European analysis by Le Lab Femmes de Cinéma and Les Femmes s’Animent found that between 2018 and 2022, only 19% of animated features were directed by women across the continent.

Annecy’s programming reflects this push for visibility. The “Women and Animation, 10 Years” retrospective features ten standout short films from female directors, including works by Joanna Quinn, who will be honored with an Honorary Cristal for her career achievements. A dedicated Hungarian programme curated by Anna Ida Orosz highlights female filmmakers such as Nadja Andrasev, Zsuzsanna Kreif, Luca Tóth, and Flóra Anna Buda, whose films interrogate gender, body politics, and societal norms in contemporary Hungary.

On the industry side, Annecy’s market arm, Mifa, is once again hosting "Women x Stories: Emerging Female Voices," a development programme launched in 2022 by Women in Animation with support from The Walt Disney Company and UNESCO. This initiative supports female-led projects from Latin America, Africa, and Asia, providing mentorship and a platform at Mifa. Out of 115 applicants this year, five projects will be pitched on June 10.

This year’s official festival juries are also making strides toward parity, with women holding eight out of the 15 jury seats. Notable jurors include Hungarian director Réka Bucsi, Nadja Andrasev, Swedish producer Linda Hambäck, and South African multidisciplinary artist Naomi Van Niekerk. These appointments reflect Annecy’s focus on ensuring women have a voice in artistic evaluation and decision-making.

Julie Gayet, founder of the Festival Sœurs Jumelles, is also contributing to Annecy’s 2025 edition through a panel titled “Animation Film Music: Female Composers Talk.” Taking place on June 13, the panel will feature composers Joëlle Nager, Nina Humphreys, and Audrey Ismaël in a discussion on the intersection of music, animation, and gender. “It was at Annecy that I realized just how much music is an inseparable element of a film work,” said Gayet, referencing her role as jury president in 2019. “On June 13 in Annecy… we’ll combine two commitments close to my heart: women and music for film.”

Other key moments include a June 11 conference, “Women in the Animation Industry: A Decade of Change, A Future to Shape,” and a June 12 workshop on gender equality in film and animation hosted by the Femmes de Cinéma Lab. These sessions will bring together institutional leaders, established professionals, and emerging talent to address ongoing challenges and opportunities in the sector.

By the numbers, Annecy 2025 reflects growing female representation: 40% of directors in the short film competition are women, while women make up 48% of project leads in the Mifa Pitch programme. The festival’s Official Feature Film selection, however, remains male-dominated, with only 17% of directors being women—highlighting an area still in need of progress.

Annecy’s decade-long dedication to gender equity is visible across its programming, partnerships, and leadership decisions. With transparent benchmarks and a growing global platform, the festival continues to champion inclusion not just as a theme, but as a structural priority in the world of animation.