ESMA Joins Women In Animation As Global Fund Sponsor

Women in Animation (WIA) has added French animation and VFX school ESMA as a Leadership Global Fund Sponsor, making the school one of only two educational institutions currently supporting the organization at that level.

The partnership gives ESMA students access to WIA initiatives, including the WIA Scholarship program, workshops, events, and the organization’s mentorship program.

ESMA is one of France’s best-known animation schools and has built an international reputation through its student shorts. The school’s 2025 film Trash won the BAFTA Student Film Award for Animation and picked up additional honors at Cinequest, the Melbourne International Animation Festival, and Animayo. The film also received an Annie Award nomination and qualified for the most recent Academy Awards.

WIA chair of education Hsiang Chin Moe said the organization sees schools as key partners in expanding equity across the animation industry:

Educational institutions are among our most powerful allies. When schools champion equity from day one, they shape the kind of industry we all want to work in. ESMA’s artistic excellence, global reach, and their students’ remarkable BAFTA-winning work on Trash make them an inspiring partner, and we can’t wait to see what we’ll build together for the next generation of creators.

ESMA has recently expanded its English-language offerings for international students in 3D animation and FX training.

Isabelle Teissedre, executive director for pedagogy at Réseau Écoles Créatives, said the partnership reflects the school’s broader industry goals:

Becoming one of WIA’s educational partners is an important step for ESMA and a strong signal of our commitment to the next generation of animation and VFX talent. Through this partnership, we are proud to support a more open, inclusive and internationally connected creative industry

The agreement also marks a further international expansion for WIA’s educational partnerships. The School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York previously became the organization’s first educational partner and remains its only other educational Global Fund donor.

WIA noted that women held 20% of the animation industry’s creative roles in 2015 despite representing more than 60% of animation school graduates. According to data cited by the organization from The Animation Guild, women now hold 34% of creative roles in the industry, an improvement, but still far short of where the industry should be.