VES Welcomes New Sections – Japan and Spain

The Visual Effects Society is pleased to welcome two new regional Sections: Japan and Spain, authorized by the VES Board of Directors in January. This brings the total number of VES Sections to 18, reflecting the Society’s growing membership – now over 5,500 members worldwide.

“Our Sections around the world are the beating heart of the Visual Effects Society. With a diverse international membership, Section leaders play a critical role in addressing the needs specific to their regions and being global ambassadors for the craft of visual effects,” shared Nancy Ward, VES Executive Director. “We’re thrilled to formally establish our newest Sections in Japan and Spain, which each have distinct, vibrant visual effects communities.”

Japan

“Japan has a rich visual effects history dating back to Eiji Tsuburaya and his groundbreaking work on Godzilla through today, with Takashi Yamazaki leading the first-ever Japanese crew to win the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Godzilla Minus One in 2024,” said Jeffrey Dillinger, Co-CEO of Megalis, who played a key role in forming the Section. “Having a VES Section in Japan is an exciting development that will enable us to bring more awareness of the Japanese industry to our peers internationally, and to expand our membership locally thanks to all the community benefits of being a hub.”

Organizers behind the VES Japan Section have community at the forefront while also leveraging the momentum of the country’s visual effects industry. One of their first initiatives is appealing to the Japan Academy Awards to add a visual effects category. The Section is also planning ways to highlight its members’ work internationally through connections with other VES Sections.

“We’re thrilled to formally establish our newest Sections in Japan and Spain, which each have distinct, vibrant visual effects communities.”

—Nancy Ward, VES Executive Director

Spain

“There has been a strong demand from Spanish VES members for a local Section that reflects the maturity and scale of the industry here. With more international productions coming to Spain driven by tax incentives, studio infrastructure and highly skilled crews, our community has grown significantly. Many of us have worked abroad and experienced first-hand the value of local VES Sections in building strong professional networks. Establishing a Spain Section felt like a natural step to support our region’s growth and give Spain a stronger voice within the global VES network,” shared Astrid Busser Casas, Founder & VFX Supervisor of Ghost Light VFX, who helped to establish the VES Spain Section.

Spain’s rapidly growing, increasingly international VFX community includes artists working across film, episodic, animation, advertising, virtual production and emerging AI-driven workflows. The VES Spain Section aims to unify this local talent pool, creating a visible, connected community that positions Spain as a strong and reliable VFX partner within the global production ecosystem. Another priority for the Section is to help bridge the gap between international productions coming to Spain and the local VFX talent pool, encouraging long-term industry growth alongside the country’s strong production incentives and studio network.