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Fumi Kitahara – Photo by Simon Otto
It is with immense sadness that the Festival team learned of the death of Fumi Kitahara on 24th February 2025. She was a renowned publicist in the animation world, a long-standing member of Women in Animation and a figure synonymous with the Annecy Festival.
The publicist died on Monday 24th February at the age of 56, following a serious illness.
With a career in animation spanning over 30 years, she worked alongside talents such as Simon Otto and Glen Keane, making her an essential member of the industry. She was responsible for the publicity campaigns of renowned studios such as DreamWorks, Netflix, Aardman and Disney, as well as famous franchises such as Chicken Run, Coraline, Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon. Fumi Kitahara guided several animation films to prestigious awards. Her expertise earned her a reputation as a visionary animation marketing strategist.
For over 10 years, she served as Public Relations Chairwoman for the Women in Animation organisation and was a committed campaigner for gender equality in the industry. She played a decisive role in promoting the values upheld by WIA on an international level, and particularly at Annecy. "WIA would not be where we are today without her extraordinary and relentless work," said Jinko Gotoh, WIA Vice-President and Oscar Academy board member. "She was the ultimate connector to the media as well as the ideal Annecy ambassador for our World Summit."
The Annecy Festival team joins her family and friends in mourning the memory of an inspiring, generous and respected figure in the world of animation.
