New Executive Board for ASIFA

ASIFA, founded in France in 1960, and chartered under UNESCO, is the world’s oldest and largest international animation association. With Norman McLaren as the first President, the founders envisioned a world of peace and dialogue to settle our differences, using the art of animation as a bridge between different cultures and ideologies.

The new executive board: 

• Deanna Morse, President, USA
• Anastasia Dimitra, Vice President, Hellas
• Mohamed Ghazala, Vice President, Egypt
• Johnchill Lee, Vice President, China
• Annegret Richter, Vice President, Germany
• Stefan Stratil, Treasurer, Austria
• Thomas Renoldner, Secretary General, Austria

The new board aims to 'encourage more communication and connections between chapters internationally'. International Animation Day, (IAD, a global celebration each October), the annual ASIFA Prize, (honoring a person central to the art of animation), ASIFA Magazine, ASIFA Workshop Group, (artist animators work with children around the globe each year to make a film around a common theme), and international communication tools) are some of its current activities.

Short Bios:

Deanna Morse, with MFA in Art and Technology, is an independent experimental animation artist, with films for Sesame Street, and pieces in permanent collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and an emerita faculty member, Grand Valley State University, Michigan, USA. A former ASIFA Vice President, she currently lives in Southern Oregon, USA.

Anastasia Dimitra, Ph.D in animation, is an animation professor and director, with many awards and international screenings. She has written books and papers concerning the art of animation, and has been a jury member on several international animation festivals. She is very active in ASIFA Hellas, and has served ASIFA International as the Coordinator of the 60 th Anniversary Celebration and treasurer.

Mohamed Ghazala, with a Ph.D in animation, is currently the chair of Cinematic Arts School in Effat University, KSA. He is also an award-winning animation director. His main research interest is in documenting the animated practices in Africa. He has served ASIFA International as a Vice President.

Johnchill Lee with a PhD. in Digital Media Communications, has a diverse background in animation, education, new technologies, and the industry of animation. He is President of Beijjng Digital Creativity Industry Association, is the Secretary General of ASIFA China, and a former Vice President of ASIFA.

Annegret Richter, with a Ph.D in animated documentary, has a solid background in Communication and Media Studies. She was a festival director at the International Short Film Festival in Dresden, and International Leipzig Festival of Documentary and Animated Films. She has worked as a director in the Communication department for ASIFA.

Stefan Stratil is the current treasurer of ASIFA, and President of ASIFA Austria since 2004. A curator and lecturer, with an education in experimental design/animation, he has created comic strips and short commercials for TV and cinema.

Thomas Renoldner is an artist, curator, lecturer. Vice President Communication of ASIFA for the last six years, he has served as a juror and presenter at many international film
festivals and is a multiple award-winning filmmaker.

(photo caption: Anastasia Dimitra, Stefan Stratil, Mohamed Ghazala, Deanna Morse, Johnchill Lee, Thomas Renoldner, Annegret Richter)

• ASIFA