Press Release: International Women’s Day

PRESS RELEASE:

THE VFX INDUSTRY HIGHLIGHTS KEY ISSUES FOR ‘INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY’​

80+ participants across 26 talks on Friday 8th March

London, 5th March 2024: ‘World VFX Day’ and women’s foundation UpliftHER have joined forces to create a series of online talks for International Women’s Day, to highlight some of the issues and developments within the VFX industry, and beyond. International Women’s Day has taken place every year for well over a century, with the core mission of achieving gender equality, globally.

The speakers will touch on various subjects such as why there are so few women in senior roles, juggling parenthood with a career, LGBTQ+ representation and inclusion, financial literacy, mentoring, building a career network, and more.

“Visual effects can offer a fantastic career path for those interested in art and technology, yet a study in 2021 showed that less than 10% of women are in supervisor roles. Representation really matters and that’s why I’m so excited to share these talks with the world, not only to help empower women but as part of World VFX Day’s mission to shine a spotlight on visual effects.” said Hayley Miller, Founder of World VFX Day.

The online talks series has garnered a diverse range of international speakers and support from VFX studios and beyond, including: Framestore, ILM, Cinesite, Blue Bolt, Important Looking Pirates, Jellyfish Pictures, Access VFX, Coffee & TV, Pixstone VFX, Lightrunner Studio, Chocolate Tribe, Ingenuity Studios, Alpha Studios, PXL Talent, Lost Boys School of VFX, and more.

“It is an uncomfortable truth, but men and women typically experience their careers differently. They are a product moulded by the societies we live in, the cultures we work in and that’s why these talks are important.” said Amy Mercer, Co-Founder of UpliftHER.

This online event starts at 9am (GMT) on Friday 8th March, on the World VFX Day YouTube channel.

See more details about the event via LinkedIn, here: https://www.linkedin.com/events/internationalwomen-sday7165752003535605761/

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Asset/Image (Left: Amy Mercer, Co-Founder, UpliftHER. Right: Hayley Miller, Founder, World VFX Day): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K61ZdolQIrfEHBpq7LEiV9bX7fn94PYm/view?usp=sharing 

Data Sources:

• Women in VFX: https://annenberg.usc.edu/news/research-and-impact/new-study-finds-women-are-invisible-visual-effects 

About World VFX Day:

‘World VFX Day’ is an annual global observance, held on the 8th of December, dedicated to celebrating the exceptional achievements and contributions of the visual effects community to the world of entertainment, and beyond. The 8th of December is chosen in homage to George Méliès’ birthday, a filmmaker who was one of the most prolific early pioneers of visual effects. Founded by a collective of VFX studios, organizations, and professionals in 2023, this event seeks to elevate the profile of the VFX industry, promote unity, and foster an overall greater global recognition.

About UpliftHER

The UpliftHER Foundation aims to help achieve gender equality and inclusion within today’s workplaces by partnering with businesses who understand the importance of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Social (ESG) responsibility in engaging, developing and retaining people. They offer in-house mentoring programmes, career advice, community groups, networking events and many other resources to help empower women in the workplace, and beyond.