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Kyoto Animation Wins Women in Animation Diversity Award
posted on by Alex Mateo
Women in Animation (WIA) honored Kyoto Animation with the 2020 WIA Diversity Award for Corporate Achievement at its fourth annual WIA Diversity Awards on October 28. The awards are part of the Spark Animation 2020 event, which runs virtually from October 29 to November 8.
The WIA Board of Directors honored Kyoto Animation for creating an inclusive studio based on a gender-balanced workplace. WIA honored the studio for supporting and encouraging women to enter the animation industry, with a model that gives women ongoing security.
Jinko Gotoh, Vice President of WIA, stated, "It is our honor to award this important award to Kyoto Animation. As a Japanese producer myself, I'm particularly proud of the way Kyoto Animation shares WIA's inclusive principle of hiring female artists, as well as their commitment to training artists. They have also displayed tremendous courage in the face of terrible tragedy."
The WIA Diversity Awards recognize and honors individuals, films, and organizations that have made an impact in expanding the diversity of voices in art and animation, either through their own work, fostering others', or leading diversity initiatives that enrich the industry and society.
Kyoto Animation announced in July that it is accepting applications again for different positions for both fixed-term and year-round employment periods. The anime studio had postponed recruiting for the 2021 fiscal year due to the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The studio is accepting applications for animators, managers, and systems engineers, for both fixed-term and year-round periods. The company is also accepting general affairs personnel only for year-round periods, and 3D CG positions (modeling, rigging, effects, animation production) only for fixed-term periods.
On July 18, 2019, a devastating fire broke out at Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 building. A total of 70 people were inside the building at the time. The fire killed 36 people and injured 33 others. In addition to those victims, a man in his 40s on his way to work in the area suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation.
Kyoto Prefectural Police apprehended the then 41-year-old suspect who allegedly used gasoline to start the fire, and they are investigating the case as arson. The man allegedly bought 40 liters of gasoline in two canisters and used a cart to transport the gasoline to Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 building. Police arrested the suspect on May 27 after 10 months of hospital care due to injuries.
Demolition work on Kyoto Animation's Studio 1 building concluded on April 28.
Sources: Animation Scoop (Jerry Beck)
