The International Animated Film Association-Hollywood (ASIFA-Hollywood) has announced that the 48th Annie Awards™ ceremony will be held as a virtual event. The awards, recognizing excellence in animation, will be streamed on Friday, April 16, 2021.
Details are still in the planning stages, but as ASIFA-Hollywood Executive Director Frank Gladstone notes, “The animation community has proven to be remarkably adaptable during this very challenging year. The 48th Annie Awards™ are no exception.”
While the awards are just one more way in which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected public gatherings, ASIFA-Hollywood President Jerry Beck observes an upside to taking the ceremony online. “One particular advantage of this year’s virtual event is the participation of our international members—artists, animators and filmmakers—who will be on hand for the first time to celebrate this year’s honorees, nominees and winners.”
Among the factors that went into the difficult decision to go virtual was safety. ASIFA-Hollywood Vice-President Sue Shakespeare explains that a virtual broadcast is the best way to share the year’s animation talents “without the fear of endangering the hundreds of guests who gather each spring to celebrate animation’s best.”
Rules and dates for submissions and nominations are posted on the Annie Awards™ website, with details about the virtual ceremony coming soon.
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