Epic Games’ Unreal Engine announced the conclusion of the second edition of The Women Creators Programme on August 11, 2022. The initiative, in partnership with Open Air Films, ASIFA India and Perforce Software provided India and Southeast Asian women producers with a paid six-week virtual in-depth training and mentoring programme.
The programme, the first of its kind for Epic in Southeast Asia, is aimed at equipping the next generation of real-time animators, with a particular focus on inspiring and empowering women creators in India and Southeast Asia. From over 178 applications across Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, 21 women were shortlisted to be mentored by former Unreal fellowship graduates. These include Singaporean Digital Creative Director Jessica Tan, Indonesian Producer Ellen Xie as well as Visual Effects Artist Zubaida Nila, who is representing Malaysia.
The finalists underwent one-on-one mentoring and virtual workshops, ending phase 1 of the program with a pre-visualization demo and evaluation. The creators then entered the second phase of the programme — where they learned the latest VFX techniques in real-time world building, lighting, sequencing, and virtual production using cloud-driven virtual machines. After the final training and assessment, they were given the opportunity to showcase their short films and share more about their journey and inspirations during the event.
As a creative individual who always seeks to be better at her work, Jessica Tan – a Creative Director at Superunion – was intrigued by real-time technology and how she can utilise it in her craft. With a strong drive to learn new skills, she enrolled in the programme, hoping to push herself beyond conventional 3D work with Unreal Engine.
Titled Uninhabitable, Jessica’s short film follows the journey of a dragonfly who is navigating a world that has become increasingly hostile due to climate change. She hopes to create a visceral experience of climate change from the perspective of an insect, encouraging viewers to empathize with other living creatures whose survival is just as important as ours.
“Being part of the Women Creators Programme has been extremely inspiring. I am grateful for the opportunities for mentorship and training from the Unreal Evangelists and other women mentors,“ said Jessica. “The programme is a great incubator to encourage more women to develop the necessary technical skillsets to excel in the industry and strengthen female representation in VFX.”
“The Women Creators Programme 2022 builds on the success of the first edition, with the programme expanding into Southeast Asia for the first time this year,” said Shruti Verma, Business Lead – India and Southeast Asia, Epic Games. “Our goal is not just to nurture some of the top women professionals in the VFX space, but to also build the foundation of an ecosystem of women creators, storytellers, producers, and animation professionals. We hope the finalists have been well-equipped by the mentorship and training to bring their ideas to life with Unreal Engine.”
