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French Art School Gobelins Partners With Netflix to Promote Diversity in Japanese Animation Industry
posted on by Kim Morrissy
The France-based Gobelins School of Visual Arts announced a partnership with Netflix on June 12 to promote diversity and equal opportunity within animation. The Netflix Animation Fellowship will allow a Gobelins graduate to work directly with animation experts in Japan each year to develop Netflix-original animated productions.
"We want to give talented young animators from around the world the opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture of Japanese anime and to use their skills and passion for this world-renowned art form," said John Derderian, who oversees Netflix's live programming operations in Japan.
The first grantee of the Netflix Animation Fellowship is Claire Matz, who started her studies at Gobelins in 2015. In a video posted by Gobelins on June 13, Matz said that she interned at Tokyo-based animation studio Yapiko Animation last year, where she drew backgrounds. She is also a fan of "a Netflix-orginal animated show produced by Trigger," most likely referring to Little Witch Academia.
In addition to the fellowship, Netflix will fund scholarships at Gobelins for up to 10 students per year from Africa for four years. The first grantees will be appointed in September 2019.
"At Netflix, we are excited to support emerging animation talent in countries like France and Japan, as well as the African continent. By helping students integrate with a world-renowned institution such as Gobelins, we hope to contribute to their career development and the growth of diversity in this industry," said Melissa Cobb, vice president of original animation at Netflix.
