ASIFA WEEKLY - ANIME EXPO 2026: BREAKING INTO ANIME & ANIMATION / SHORT FILM OF THE MONTH: THE BOOT & MORE

[Sara Martin]

This Week at ASIFA . . .  ANIME EXPO 2026: BREAKING INTO ANIME & ANIMATION / SHORT FILM OF THE MONTH: THE BOOT / AMPLIFYING VOICE: ERIKA SALAZAR /  AEF STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP / UPCOMING EVENTS  Anime Expo 2026 & ASIFA-Hollywood Present Breaking Into Anime & Animation: How Studios Find and Hire Talent Panel Want to work in anime or animation? Industry insiders reveal how studios discover, recruit, and hire new talent. Producers, executives, and creative leaders discuss what anime and animation studios look for and how artists, writers, animators, and creators can break in. Panelists will include Mitsuhisa Ishikawa (Chairperson of Production I.G), Maki Terashima-Furuta (Production IG USA President), Frank Gladstone (President, ASIFA-Hollywood), Stephanie Sheh (Writer, Producer, Voice Actor), and Michael Sinterniklaas (Producer, Voice Director). This panel will be moderated by Charles Solomon (Animation Historian, Author, and Film Critic).   Saturday, July 4th 2026, 4:15pm-5:05pm Anime Expo 2026, Location 409AB   CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE SHORT FILM OF THE MONTH: THE BOOT Rated PG   Iran nurtured me as an artist and gave me the voice to express my deepest, wordless emotions through animation. Yet the same country branded me a traitor simply because I succeeded independently on the international stage, as a Student Academy Awards Finalist. The Boot is rooted in this painful, unresolved contradiction: the eternal struggle between staying and leaving, between love for my homeland and being rejected by it. A contradiction that, ironically, grows even stronger with time. An intimate visual journey through one artist’s inner exile. To view this screener, please visit https://www.asifa-hollywood.org/membership to become a member and receive screener details. Please note that membership must be activated at least one week in order to receive the screener information. AEF Student Scholarship ASIFA-Hollywood's Animation Educators Forum (AEF) is pleased to announce that this year's Student Scholarship program is now open! This is an international opportunity designed to help students complete their education in accredited college-level animation programs. Applications are accepted from undergraduate students entering the sophomore year or higher and from graduate students working toward degree completion. The awards of up to $5,000 USD may be applied to tuition, books and supplies, animation equipment (including computer hardware or software), formal academic research (including travel), and senior or graduate thesis work. Submissions are now open and close at 11:59 PM PDT on August 1st, 2026. To apply, go to http://scholarships.animationeducatorsforum.org For specific questions, please contact us by email at: scholars...@gmail.com   CLICK HERE TO APPLY AMPLIFYING VOICES INTRODUCES  ERIKA SALAZAR As a recent CalArts graduate in the Character Animation program, I focus on everything storytelling; I am a storyboarder, character designer, independent creator, and filmmaker. Exploring fantasy and sci-fi worlds from my point of view is my thing. I was born in Mexico City, so I feel I have a very unique point of view of the world. Celebrating sensible, kind-hearted characters overcoming the adversities of life is what I do best. I'm excited about creating new worlds and characters inspired by underrepresented people I grew up with, especially Hispanic women and their surroundings. CLICK HERE TO VIEW ERIKA'S WORK SUBMIT YOUR FILM TO THE SHORT FILM OF THE MONTH PROGRAM!   Please click the button below to submit your short or student film. If your film is selected, you will receive a one-year complimentary membership. Your film will also be featured on ASIFA-Hollywood's e-newsletter!   If you have any questions, please email in...@asifa-hollywood.org.   CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR FILM AMPLIFYING VOICES INITIATIVE Interested in being featured on an ASIFA-Hollywood's eblast and social media via the Amplifying Voices Initiative? To learn more, email membe...@asifa-hollywood.org. Corporate Members Disney Television Animation DreamWorks Animation LAIKA LLC LucasFilm Animation Netflix Nickelodeon Pixar Animation Studios Riot Games Skydance Animation Sony Pictures Animation Walt Disney Animation Studios Annie Award Sponsors Amazon MGM Animation Is Film Animation Magazine Backstage Bento Box Entertainment Disney Branded Television DreamWorks Animation GKIDS Lightbox Expo Motion Pictures Editors Guild Netflix Nickelodeon Animation Studios Ottawa International Animation Festival Paper Animation Pixar Animation Studios Skydance Animation Sony Pictures Animation The Hollywood Reporter Variety Walt Disney Animation Studios Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Pictures Animation   ©ASIFA-Hollywood - 1050 W Alameda Ave, #289, Burbank, CA 91506