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Animation Educators Forum

Dedicated to the preservation and promotion of animation through education

Animation Educators ForumThe people who teach animation can vary from an old studio veteran, to a young independent filmmaker, to a computer tech. All are united in their love of teaching and a desire to ensure the skills of the past are passed on to future generations. Despite the large number of people now teaching animation, there has been very little communication between these teachers outside of their respective institutions, other than casual social contact…until now.

In 2008, a group of Southern California educators formed the Animation Educators Forum to begin a dialogue and share information with all those who teach animation. Thanks to the generous support of ASIFA-Hollywood, the volunteer organization has hosted numerous discussions at industry expositions including yearly “Birds of a Feather “ meet-ups at SIGGRAPH and CTN Animation eXpo, and held two Student Film Festivals that led to the Student Annie Award. The AEF holds an Annual General Membership Meeting to discuss relevant topics and announce new opportunities such as the Student Scholarship that it launched in 2015.

ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animation Educators Forum is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of animation through education. Our growing international membership, with their diverse backgrounds in both the animation and educational fields, are focused on extending their knowledge and experience to others within the worldwide animation community. All who are engaged in this unique form of instruction need not toil alone – we seek to provide a source of new ideas and continue to engage in lively, inspired and valuable discussions going forward!

Some of the Programs at AEF

Visit the Website

Visit the Website

For more information on the Animation Educators Forum, be sure to visit their official website.

Social Contact With Other Educators

The Animation Educators Forum comes together at animation events and conventions to interact, mingle and discuss animation education.

Student Scholarships

The Animation Educators Forum provides scholarships to students in the field of animation. Last year, the organization awarded over $40,000 in scholarships to ten students.

Faculty Grants

The Faculty Grant program is designed to provide support for individuals or groups with reasonable expenditures associated with research, scholarly activity or creative projects in the field of animation.

Birds of a Feather

At animation events and conventions, the Animation Educators Forum comes together to discuss the state of the industry and how animation programs at colleges can prepare students with a career after graduation.

The Animation Educators Forum was at the CTN Animation eXpo and had a lively discussion on the topic of “Navigating the Film Festival Maelstrom 2015: What Your Students Should Know About Film Festivals, Web Venues and Contests.” To listen to the conversation, click on the link below. You can also listen to us on ASIFA-Hollywood’s YouTube channel.

For a student who just completed a short film, knowing how to make the next move can be daunting. In a bewildering world of festivals, websites and shifting regulations, faculty and mentors can serve as guides that point them in the right direction. During the session, some thoughts to keep in mind when entering a festival is discussed in length.

On November 16, 2013, the Animation Educators Forum (AEF) had a round table open discussion on the subject of teaching to the first job or the last job to animation students at the Creative Talent Network eXpo (CTNx).