At Annecy, streaming service Netflix and French animation school Gobelins announced a partnership to support equal opportunities for diverse voices in animation.
Through the Netflix Animation Fellowship, one Gobelins graduate each year will be able to work alongside animation professionals in Japan to develop original Netflix anime titles. The post-graduate program intends to help deepen both the technical and creative skills of its participants. Gobelins student Claire Matz is the first winner of this new fellowship.
Additionally, Netflix will fund scholarships for up to ten students a year over four years from the African continent to study at Gobelins as part of their Master of Arts in character animation and animated filmmaking program. The first recipients of the character animation scholarship program will be named in September 2019. This decision is line with Netflix’s interest in African talent, as evidenced earlier this year with the announcement of the company’s first original African animated series, Mama K’s Team 4 from Zambian writer Malenga Mulendema.
