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Call for Entries ITFS 2026 – Submit your Films now!

Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS), one of Europe’s leading animation festivals, is now open for submissions for its 2026 edition, taking place from May 5 to 10, 2026, in Stuttgart, Germany.

ITFS 2026 Key Visual

Filmmakers and studios worldwide are invited to submit their works for the festival’s competitions. The Grand Prix, awarded in the International Competition, qualifies the winning film for the Academy Awards® longlist. In total, prize money of more than € 50,000 will be awarded across five competition categories.

Competitions & Deadlines:

Short Film Competitions (Deadline: November 15, 2025):

  • International Competition – animated shorts from around the world
  • Student Competition – animated shorts by students
  • Tricks for Kids – animated shorts and series for children
  • Trickstar Nature Award – animated shorts on nature and the environment

Feature Film Competition AniMovie (Deadline: January 15, 2026): Animated feature films (60 minutes or longer)

Submission Process: Film submissions are accepted via the online platform Shortfilmdepot. Regulations and forms are available on the ITFS website: https://itfs.de/en/participate/submit/

Project submissions will open in November 2025 via the festival website.

Funding Program “Creative Connection”

Stuttgart is focusing on creativity with the innovative funding program “Creative Connection”: The Economic Development Agency of the state capital Stuttgart (Wirtschaftsförderung der Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart) supports creative minds and pioneering projects that network and sustainably strengthen the creative industries in Stuttgart.

Creative Connection, Wirtschaftsförderung der Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart

Exciting events, innovative project ideas, innovation labs, training opportunities, or networking meet-ups for the creative industries – the funding program “Creative Connection” aims to help bring new ideas to life and put them into practice. Its goal: to connect Stuttgart’s creative economy, increase its visibility, and make it future-proof. With grants of up to €3,000, innovative ideas and exciting events can be realized.

Eligible initiatives include, for example:

  • A networking event where architecture meets game design
  • A talent initiative bringing together young creatives and Stuttgart-based agencies
  • An innovation lab on artificial intelligence for creative professionals
  • A hackathon for creative entrepreneurs
  • A trade fair booth for creative start-ups
  • A cross-innovation festival for corporates and creatives
  • A learning expedition to an AI congress

The funding is open to companies from commercial industries and liberal professions, universities, colleges, associations, and institutions with their own legal form. Private individuals are not eligible to apply.

Apply now! The current call for proposals runs until September 30, 2025. Further information: https://www.stuttgart.de/wirtschaft/wirtschaftsfoerderung/foerderprogramme/foerderprogramm-creative-connection/

Studio Filmbilder nominated as “Producer of the Year” at the Cartoon Forum Tributes 2025!

Our CREATORS from Studio Filmbilder are among the contestants for the “Producer of the Year” category at the Cartoon Forum Tributes 2025! The Tributes are set to recognise European animation latest achievements. The winners will be voted by the professionals attending Cartoon Forum, the European coproduction forum for animated series to be held on September 15-18 in Toulouse, France.

The Cartoon Forum Tributes awards are broken down into three categories – “Broadcaster”, “Investor/Distributor”, and “Producer of the Year”. In addition to Studio Filmbilder, Belgium’s Creative Conspiracy, Poland’s Grupa Smacznego / GS Animation, and France’s SILEX FILMS are also nominated in the “Producer of the Year” category.

Studio Filmbilder’s “Animanimals” and “Lena’s Farm” were presented at previous editions of Cartoon Forum. This year they participate with the children’s series “3 Captains”. More information

Our CREATORS from Gretels Gold are also taking part in this year’s Cartoon Forum – with their project “A Trip with a Drip.” More information

3 Captains, Studio Filmbilder
A Trip with a Drip, Gretels Gold

All projects: https://www.cartoon-media.eu/forum/projects/discover-the-projects

About Cartoon Forum: Cartoon Forum is a unique eventfocusing onpitching sessions of pre-selected TV projects, where animation producers can find cross-border partners and speed up financial arrangements. It allows co-productions to be finalised, pre-buys agreed, negotiation of distribution agreements, options discussed on every type of right, and licensing of secondary rights.Created in 1990 to boost the co-production and distribution of European animation for television and new media platforms, Cartoon Forum has helped 1,017 animation series obtain financing to the tune of 3.69 billion €. The 36 th Cartoon Forum is organised by CARTOON – European Association of Animation Film with the support of Creative Europe – MEDIA, CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée), Région Occitanie, Mairie de Toulouse, Toulouse Métropole, Casino Barrière and France Télévisions (FTV).

Source: Press Release Cartoon Forum | Cartoon Forum Tributes