Audience research

Gender representation in animation has been widely discussed, yet precise and comparable data across festivals remain limited. This lack of systematic evidence motivated our initial analysis, which focused on the gender balance within the official selections of festivals in the Animation Festival Network (AFN) – specifically Animafest Zagreb, Animateka, Fest Anča, Animest, and Anifilm.

In our 2024 survey, led by Jakub Spevák, Programme Director of Fest Anča, we examined the percentage of female and male filmmakers in the competition sections of these festivals, as well as the representation of gender nonconforming individuals. The findings were presented during Animafest Zagreb 2024, revealing trends in gender distribution and whether these numbers were ascending or descending.

Have a look at Who Run The World (Of Animation) survey.

Building on this foundation, our newest survey expands the scope to better understand the broader context of gender representation. While the previous analysis focused solely on the final programmes, the present study delves deeper by examining the entire selection process. We explore critical questions: How many films are submitted to each festival? What is the gender distribution among submitting filmmakers? And what proportion of these submissions ultimately make it into the official selection?

The findings were presented during Animation Festival Network Meeting in Zagreb.

Have a look at the new Female representation in AFN festival programming vol. 2.