HBO Max & WarnerMedia Access to Highlight Underrepresented Animation with “Animated Shorts Program”

October 5, 2021 News animated shorts program, animation, diversity initiative, hbo max, warnermedia access

Even as far along as we are in 2021, there is still wide gaps in representation when it comes to animation. Sure, there have been things like Persepolis and Tuca & Bertie, but those are more rare gems than a common occurrence.

So, it looks like HBO Max and WarnerMedia Access are looking to fill in some gaps that very much need filling in with their Animated Shorts Program. They’ll offer mentorship with handpicked folks to produce an animated short that’ll get screened on HBO Max.

Hopefully, that’ll lead to more ACTUALLY diverse animated cartoons and the like. In case you didn’t know, there are many animated programs that purport to be diverse via the stories and characters, but they are often not written or created by people from those communities/backgrounds (note the lack of women in writer/animator roles in all of Love Death + Robots).

If you’re interested in the Animated Shorts Program, they’re taking submissions from now until Oct. 24th. Get more details/submit here.