The GAMESTATE Festival BW on July 11, 2025 brings together professional developers, students, and career changers from Baden-Württemberg to strengthen statewide exchange within the games industry and explore future development opportunities. A diverse program of talks and roundtables, concluding with a party, offers numerous opportunities for in-depth exchange and networking.
The event is free of charge. Registration is required by July 4.
Stuttgart is calling for creative submissions! The Art Directors Club für Deutschland (ADC) e.V. is launching a design competition on behalf of the City of Stuttgart for a creative Stuttgart T-shirt. The contest runs under the theme “42 x 30 – Stuttgart macht sich bereit für die Zukunft(Stuttgart Gets Ready for the Future)” and is aimed at young creatives, students, agency trainees, and designers with fresh ideas. Professionals are also welcome to participate.
The goal is to create a T-shirt design that captures the spirit of the city – bold, modern, and forward-looking. Prizes totaling € 1,500 will be awarded, and the winners will be honored at the ADC Design Conference on October 20, 2025 in Stuttgart. Submission deadline: June 30, 2025
Further information and submission details can be found hereand here.
May 25, 2025
Annecy 2025
From June 8 to 14, 2025, this year’s Annecy Festival will take place. As part of the festival, the MIFA animation film market will be held from June 10 to 13. Numerous projects by filmmakers from our network will be featured.
In the competition category “TV Films,” “Lena’s Farm” is represented with the episode “Volles Nest” by Elena Walf, produced by Thomas Meyer-Hermann (Studio Film Bilder). More info
The Animationsinstitut of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg is also represented: in the “Graduation Films” category, “Detlev” by Ferdinand Ehrhardt (director and producer) and Saskia Stirn (producer), with distribution by Fabian Driehorst, will be screened. More info Selected for the “VR Works” category is “lichtung” by Aria Wolf and Janina Zlotos (directors), produced by Cyril Fischer and Christoph Mohr. More info
The animated feature film “Stitch Head” by screenwriter and director Steve Hudson will be shown in the “Annecy Presents” section and will celebrate its world premiere! At ITFS 2020, the screenplay received the AMCRS-sponsored award for Best German-language Screenplay for an Animated Feature Film. The film was supported by MFG and involved the studios LAVAlabs Moving Images and PIXOMONDO in its production. More info | News article by MFG
The talent panel “Shape Your Future: Moving European Animation Forward” will present the innovation network PANEURAMA, with Christian Müller from the Animationinstitut joining the discussion. More info
‘Is AI intelligent?’ is the question posed by internationally renowned AI researcher Bernhard Schölkopf in his keynote at the first edition of the Innovationslabor Zukunft (Innovation Lab Future). From May 28 to June 1, 2025, Schauspiel Stuttgart will transform the Kammertheater into a theatrical AI laboratory with 30 events.
Can an AI direct a play? Can AI help us overcome death? How does a human move in the metaverse? Human and machine – who is programming whom? Is AI emotional? With the help of experts such as Ranga Yogeshwar, Oscar winner Jan Pinkava (head of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Animationsinstitut), theatrical performance projects (by Wilke Weermann, Florian Etti, Alessa Bollack, and Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart), workshops by La Fura dels Baus, and performances by Rimini Protokoll, the festival explores complex questions about the future of artificial intelligence and society.
With the Innovationslabor Zukunft, Schauspiel Stuttgart creates a space for exciting encounters, diverse presentations, discussion formats, and keynotes featuring experts from science, business, the arts, and philosophy. Encounters with a humanoid robot, Kenza Ait Si Abbou, Ars Electronica Director Veronica Liebl, ZKM Director Alistair Hudson, film producer Nico Hofmann, Prof. Dr. Judith Simon (member of the Deutscher Ethikrat), Minister Petra Olschowski, producer and pianist Roberto Di Gioia, and many more. SWR Kultur will produce four live broadcasts/podcasts – including from the Kammertheater.
AI becomes tangible and experiential: AI live on stage, AI-driven live music production, AI in film, and actors performing live in the Metaverse.
In cooperation with SWR Kultur, Hochschule der Medien, Media Solution Center Baden-Württemberg, HLRS, ZKM Karlsruhe, EIT Culture and Creativity, ICE Innovation by Creative Economy, Akademie für Darstellende Kunst Baden-Württemberg
Two Animationsinstitut projects on the 2025 BAFTA Student Awards longlist!
A few days ago, the longlist for the 2025 BAFTA Student Awards (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) was announced – and two student projects from the Animationsinstitut at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg made it in: “A Sparrow’s Song” (Director: Tobias Eckerlin, more information) and “kaulquappe (polliwog)” (Director: Julia Skala, more information).
The finalists will be revealed at the end of May – fingers crossed!
A Sparrow’s Song – Filmakademie Baden-WürttembergKaulquappe – Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
Trailer Polliwog
Show Reel Animationsinstitut 2025
May 12, 2025
Jobs at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Animationsinstitut
The Animationsinstitut is part of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and one of the world’s leading training institutions for Animation, Visual Effects, Technical Directing, Animation/Effects Producing and Interactive Media.
They currently have the following job vacancies:
Coordinator Artificial Intelligence (m/f/d) as of July 1, 2025 or as soon as possible. Full-time (39.5 hours/week), limited to 2 years.
Tasks:
Consulting and strategic development of teaching and organization
Central point of contact for students, teachers and staff for all AI topics
Collaboration with research projects of the R&D Department and our Animationsinstitut especially in the area of fair and sustainable AI use
Building and maintaining networks with regional and international AI partners
Support in selecting, implementing and prioritizing AI projects
Assistant to the Head of Institute (m/f/d), full-time (39.5 h), for a period of two years.
Tasks:
Facilitating communication between the Head of Institute, commercial management and teaching, as well as the lecturers and students of the Animationsinstitut
General secretarial and assistant tasks, correspondence, telephone and reception
Translation DE-EN and EN-DE
Travel and meeting coordination for the Head of the Institute
Coordination, preparation and follow-up of meetings and presentations in German and English
Travel bookings and other organizational activities for the Head of the Institute, staff and students
Thank you for your inspiring work, your creativity, expertise, and incredible dedication. But most of all, thank you for the many enriching encounters and conversations – it was truly a pleasure!
May 10, 2025
Our Creators @ ITFS on Sunday, May 11, 2025!
The final day of the STUTTGART ANIMATED WEEK 2025 is here – after a week full of events and inspiration, amazing encounters with old and new friends, tons of input on the latest developments in art, technology, and research, hopefully lots of new project ideas and collaborations – and, of course, a celebration of films, games, and all kinds of media projects and experiences! We hope you made it this far and had an incredible time!
Here’s where you can find out how our CREATORS are involved with ITFS on Sunday, May 11, 2025.
Schlossplatz, photo: ITFS, Reiner Pfisterer
11:00-17:00 ITFS, Staatsgalerie, Konrad-Adenauer-Str. 30-32, GameZone Hochschule der Medien, Animationsinstitut / FABW, Merz Akademie https://itfs.de/en/show/gamezone-2/
18:00 ITFS, White Noise, Eberhardtstr. 35 Exhibition: It’s Just a Whole Exhibition aby Animationsinstitut / FABW graduate Bianca Scali / Winner ITFS 2024 “Student Competition“ https://itfs.de/en/show/exhibition-its-just-a-whole-12/
Lenas Hof – Das mutterlose Ei
May 9, 2025
Our Creators @ ITFS on Saturday, May 10, 2025!
Hands up, it’s the weekend – and Day 5 of the STUTTGART ANIMATED WEEK 2025! Enjoy your time at ITFS and check out which of our CREATORS – and which of their projects – you can catch on Saturday, May 10. In the evening, the big ITFS Awards Ceremony will take place – fingers crossed for all the nominees!
18:00 ITFS, White Noise, Eberhardtstr. 35 Exhibition: It’s Just a Whole Exhibition by Animationsinstitut / FABW graduate Bianca Scali / Winner ITFS 2024 “Student Competition“ https://itfs.de/en/show/exhibition-its-just-a-whole-10/
May 9, 2025
The Winners of the AniX Awards at ITFS 2025!
The first award winners of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS)2025 have been chosen: In a joint awards ceremony – the AniX Awards – the German Animation Screenplay Award and the Trickstar Business Award were presented on the evening of May 8, 2025 at the Festival Centre in the Haus der Katholischen Kirche.
Award winners and nominees, juries, and sponsors AniX Award ITFS 2025, Photo: Reiner Pfisterer
The prize for the best German screenplay for an animated feature film in the amount of € 2,500 sponsored by the Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart (AMCRS), goes to “Fräulein Dezember und die Mondschein-Bande“ (“Miss December and the Moon Clan”) by Lisa Fechner (Producer: Peter Keydel, Production: Mistral Filmstudio GmbH)
From the jury statement: Miss December is a loving, exciting, and funny Mary Poppins story, paired with magic and scary moments. Based on an Italian children’s book by Antonia Murgo, Lisa Fechner succeeds in crafting the dialogues in a fresh yet profound way. The plot is exciting, humorous, quirky, and has the necessary nostalgic feel, reminiscent of Charles Dickens’ stories and quirky families à la Wednesday and Hotel Transylvania.
The Award for the Screenplay with the Greatest International Market Potential is endowed with €2,500, sponsored by SOLA MEDIA – and the winner is Nessie Junior (Authors: Matthias Drescher, Jens Opatz, Producer: Matthias Drescher, Production: FFL – Film und Fernsehlabor Ludwigsburg GmbH & Co. KG)
From the jury statement: The story of the young sea monster Fin, who teams up with 13-year-old Kellina to uncover long-buried secrets about his origins, impresses with emotional depth, narrative strength, and a compelling sense of storytelling. […] Nessie Junior addresses universal themes such as friendship, identity, family, and the search for belonging – topics that resonate across cultures and are relevant to audiences worldwide. The legendary figure of Nessie is internationally recognized and sparks curiosity and empathy across generations, especially among family viewers. […] With Nessie Junior, Jens Opatz and Matthias Drescher have crafted a heartfelt, original, and internationally accessible story with the potential to become a beloved favorite among audiences worldwide.
The jury consisted of Solveig Langeland (Founder and Managing Director, Sola Media GmbH, Stuttgart), Jørn Precht (Author, Screenwriter, Professor for Storytelling, Hochschule der Medien, Stuttgart), Ron Segal (Author, Screenwriter, Berlin), Holger Weiss (CEO & Founder, Executive Producer, M.A.R.K. 13 Group, Stuttgart) und Silke Wilfinger (Founder & Owner, SILKWAYFILMS, Munich).
Stefanie Larson (AMCRS), Winner Peter Keydel Matthias Drescher, Jens Opatz, Solveig Langeland (Sola Media), Silke Wilfinger (Silkway Films), Peter Keydel, Holger Weiss (M.A.R.K. 13), Jørn Precht (Hochschule der Medien), Ron Segal
The Trickstar Business Award, the prize for the best innovative and forward-looking business model in the animation sector in the amount of € 7,500 sponsored by Verband Region Stuttgart, goes to SYNK by ThePack (CEO: Jan Hameeuw) – a real-time content generator and workflow management system that creates synergies and enables a huge increase in the efficiency of 3-D productions.
