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Call for Entries ITFS 2025

ITFS, Photo: Reiner Pfisterer

The 32nd Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) will take place from May 6 to 11, 2025. With focuses on artistic animated films and the promotion of young talent prizes totalling over 45,000 euros will be awarded across five competitions. Filmmakers worldwide are invited to submit their works starting September 1, 2024.

The submission deadline for the following short film competitions is November 15, 2024:

  • International Competition for animated short films 
  • Student Competition for animated short films
  • Tricks for Kids – competition for animated short films and series for children 
  • Trickstar Nature Award – competition for animated short films on nature and the environment

The submission deadline for the feature-length film competition AniMovie is January 15, 2025.

Film submissions are handled via the online submission platform Shortfilmdepot. Registration forms and regulations as well as more information about the festival, the competition categories, and the contact persons can be found on the ITFS website.

The STUTTGART ANIMATED WEEK leverages synergies with parallel events: At the same time as ITFS, the co-production market Animation Production Days (APD) and the FMX – Film and Media Exchange conference take place. This unique combination of festival, conference, and market draws up to 6,000 professional visitors to Stuttgart each year.

Source: Press Release ITFS

ITFS, Photo: Reiner Pfisterer

Nominations for the First Steps Awards 2024 announced

First Steps Award 2023 Sara Fazilat © Clemens Porikys

The First Steps Awards is the most important German prize for young filmmakers. This year, the expert jury has made its choice from over 200 entries and announced the nominees. The winners will be announced on Monday, September 30 at the Theater des Westens in Berlin and broadcast as a livestream in the ARD Mediathek from 19:30 CET. The nominations alone are associated with a prize of 1,000 euros.

Among the nominees is MORIA SIX by Jennifer Mallmann, produced by our CREATORS from FFL Film- und Fernseh-Labor Ludwigsburg and funded by MFG, was nominated in the “Documentary” category. The film takes a critical look at the new European refugee policy, using the example of the controversial conviction of six refugees who were held responsible for the devastating fire in the Moria camp on Lesbos in September 2020.

Three projects created at the Animationinstitut of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg can also hope to win a First Steps Award. The animated film DODO by Yi Luo has been nominated in the “Short Film” category. DODO tells the poetic story of Dodo and her father, a big blue bird. One day he flies away and never comes back. Since then, Dodo has stopped growing. The film was awarded the Lotte Reiniger Prize by the MFG as the best entry in the animated short film competition at the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film in April. More about DODO

PEAR GARDEN (director: Shadab Shayegan) is nominated in the “Short Steps” category and uses a purist drawing technique to sensitively tell the story of a grandmother who has lost her breasts through a mastectomy and the associated fears of her grandchild. More about PEAR GARDEN

SCRUBBY (director: Paul Vollet) is also nominated in the “Short Steps” category. The titular creature wants to live in its mother’s thick fur forever. But in his search for security, Scrubby realizes that even strong people sometimes lose their strength and need someone to lean on. More about SCRUBBY

We congratulate everyone involved and keep our fingers crossed!

Moria Six, (c) Sina Diehl
Dodo, image: FABW
Scrubby, Image: FABW
PEAR GARDEN, Image: FABW

Sources: MFG News, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg Press Release

Complete List of First-Steps Awards Nominees

Studio Soi are looking for a 3D Animator (m/f/d)

Our CREATORS from Studio Soi are preparing for a variety of projects that will require experienced 3D animators on location at their studio in Ludwigsburg, Germany.

3D Animation (Maya) with professional experience in character animation (full-time, fixed term of approximately one year) – Job description

Please apply with a link to your most recent animation reel and a short CV to: work@studiosoi.de. Please use the subject line: Application for 3D Animator.

Trude’s flatmate (TV series)

RnDeep are looking for a Pipeline Developer and Team Lead VFX/Animation (m/f/x)!

Our CREATORS from RnDeep – a company specializing in CGI pipeline development in Europe based in Stuttgart Feuerbach – are looking for a Pipeline Developer and Team Lead VFX/Animation (m/f/x).

They are looking for you with 5+ years of professional experience. You will contribute your expertise in a hybrid working model as a Pipeline Software Developer from the areas of media and entertainment, especially VFX and animation, and help manage 2 junior developers.

The tasks:

  • Development of long-lasting and robust customized software solutions using various technologies such as Python, Qt, Java- / TypeScript, C++, Unreal, Angular.
  • Management and support of 2 junior developers as well as organizational support of the entire team in internal projects.
  • Conceptual collaboration on a research project in which we implement animation tools using Unreal and web technologies
  • Creation of architectures and assessments of new project requirements

You want to know more? Read the complete job description and find out how to apply!

Image: RnDeep

Stuttgart Animation Meetup on June 25, 2024

The next Stuttgart Animation Meetup – absolutely recommendable for filmmakers and animation enthusiasts – takes place on Tuesday, June 25, 19:30 CET at Flora and Fauna Stuttgart (directly next to the U-Bahn Station “Mineralbäder”).

The Meetup is open to all – whether you’re a student, senior artist or trying to break in. You can chat about the industry, connect with each other and occasionally draw and sketch together.

Please share with your friends and colleagues! Julia, Michael and Kris are looking forward to seeing you!

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stuttanimmeetup/ 
Whatsapp Community https://chat.whatsapp.com/HBy916VD5LpG9v2MGS9LGm
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hkr1dv

TechTalks on June 18, 2024!

The TechTalks Stuttgart event series presents technical topics from the fields of visual effects (VFX) and animation for scientists, creative professionals, students and the interested public. After the keynote speeches, people can spontaneously take to the microphone on their own behalf. The next event will take place on June 18, 2024, at 18:00 CET at Das Gutbrod, Friedrichstr. 10, 70174 Stuttgart.

Admission is free! Please register in advance at contact@amcrs.de. Please note: The event will be recorded, but is not hybrid.

Program Schedule:

„Chancen und Herausforderungen von Analogfilm im LED-Volume“ (Opportunities and challenges of analog film in the LED volume)

Samuel Ramm, Sebastian Burk and Luis Zappe studied Audiovisual Media at the Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart.
The project “What you can’t see” was created as part of their bachelor’s theses, which dealt with innovations in LED virtual production. Its premise was to prove that shooting on analogue film material in an LED volume is possible, despite widespread skepticism, and to uncover the associated effects on the workflow in the LED volume as well as colors and moiré, In addition, an AI model for background separation was developed to simplify post-production. Together with Hyperbowl, Studio L’Equipe, Arri Rental Munich, Oh, Boy! Films and Silbersalz, they carried out a series of tests and tested theoretical findings onset for practical suitability.

„3D Gaussian Splatting für LED Wall Production?“

Luca Malz dealt with the topic of 3D reconstruction of photos in his bachelor’s thesis. The innovative “3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS)” approach is based on machine learning and opens up promising prospects in the media industry thanks to its photorealistic 3D reconstructions. In “3D Gaussian Splatting for Virtual Production”, Luca Malz compares the results of photogrammetric scans and 3DGS and refers to the integration into an LED wall virtual production workflow.

„Lens Flare Capture“

Vincent Maurer studies Technical Directing at Animationsinstitut and presents his scientific research project on the subject of lens flares. How does a flare actually occur in the lens and how can it be realistically reconstructed? Using motion control, image processing and machine learning, Vincent is trying to find new ways to generate realistic lens flares.

Info Flyer (PDF)

TechTalks Stuttgart is an initiative of the following institutions:

Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart | MFG Baden-Württemberg | Film Commission Region Stuttgart | Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart | Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg | Animationsinstitut

TechTalks Stuttgart on Facebook

ITFS Awards for Animationsinstitut Graduates!

On Sunday evening, April 28, 2024, the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film 2024 came to an end with the festive awards gala. Among the winners are also animated film projects by graduates and alumni of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Animationsinstitut!

Yi Luo, Photo: ITFS, Reiner Pfisterer
Dodo (directed by Yi Luo)

In the International Competition, the Lotte Reiniger Promotion Award for Animated Film (award for the best graduation film with a cash prize of 10,000 Euro, sponsored by MFG Film Funding Baden-Württemberg) goes to

Dodo, Director: Yi Luo, Producer: Jiayan Chen (Germany 2023)
More about the film and the complete credits

Jury Statement:
We saw a film that deals with the trauma of losing a father in a crucial stage child’s development. Executed in a very impressive art style that meticulously draws the viewer into the essence of the story.

Bianca Scali, Photo: ITFS, Reiner Pfisterer
it’s just a whole (directed by Bianca Scali)

The Award for the best student film with a cash prize of 2,500 Euro, sponsored by LFK Landesanstalt für Kommunikation Baden-Württemberg and MFG Film Funding Baden-Württemberg goes to:

It’s just a whole, Director: Bianca Scali, Producer: Paulina Larson (Germany 2023)
More about the film and the complete credits

Jury Statement:
We would like to give the award to the film “It‘s just a whole“  for the brilliant way in which the artists lead us into a dramatic experience in which one negotiates one’s existence  facing a sometimes cold reality, loneliness and the  primal fear of disappearance. For the film’s unique animation style in which graphics, sounds and textures are used in a way that immediately convey emotions that are transposed into physical reactions.

At the Grand Prix (State of Baden-Württemberg and the City of Stuttgart Grand Award for Animated Film with a cash prize of 10,000 Euro), director and Animationsinstitut alumna Sofiia Melnyk was honored with a Special Mention for Mariupol. A Hundred Nights (Ukraine 2023).

All winners of the ITFS 2024

We wholeheartedly congratulate all the winners!

New Creators on Board – welcome, gretels gold!

The Ogglies – Welcome to Smelliville

We are very pleased to introduce you to our new AMCRS member gretels gold!

gretels gold specialize in the development and financing of animation projects and family entertainment formats.

Their managing director Gisela Schäfer has over 25 years of experience in the industry and close relationships to companies such as LEONINE, ZDF, ARD, BETA Film, ZDF Studios and edel kids. International co-operations, e.g. in Benelux, France, India, Italy, Malaysia and Singapore, form a further basis for projects. Gisela Schäfer has produced numerous projects, including the feature films “The Ogglies – Welcome to Smelliville”, “Yakari – The Film” and TV-series such as “Henrietta – The Cow” and hybrid productions such as “Let it Glow – How Pauline Saved Christmas”.

A warm welcome! Find out more about gretels gold here!

Yakari

German Computer Game Award 2024 for THE BEAR!

The Bear, Mucks! Games, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg

The interactive bedtime story THE BEAR – A STORY FROM THE WORLD OF GRA has won the German Computer Game Award (DCP) in the category “Best Graphic Design”. THE BEAR is the debut work of Clara Deitmar, Julius Dorsel and Luzie Kehle – all former students of the Animationsinstitut at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. The team accepted the award yesterday evening in Munich.

THE BEAR is an interactive experience for tablets. Two friends, the bear and the little one, embark on a journey through a dreamy universe where they collect stars and experience stories together. THE BEAR is about rediscovering the intimate and emotional state just before falling asleep.

Winning the DCP feels like a dream for the team: “It was absolutely amazing to be part of the DCP this year! The nominations alone meant so much to us – winning is just phenomenal. We couldn’t have wished for a better start for our newly founded studio.”

The German Computer Game Award is the most important prize for games in Germany and is endowed with around 800,000€. It is awarded by the Federal Government, represented by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, together with game – Association of the German Games Industry and the Digital Games Culture Foundation.

For Jan Pinkava, Director of the Animationsinstitut, the triumph at the DCP is a strong signal for Ludwigsburg as a games location: “To put it simply: The Filmakademie is in Ludwigsburg, and Ludwigsburg is a growing centre for the creative arts. Our Interactive Media teaching is about content – what the artwork does and what it means – with a special emphasis on storytelling. That is why our talented students produce meaningful work, like THE BEAR. At the Animationsinstitut we are proud of our extraordinary students and their contribution to the region.“

THE BEAR is part of the WORLD OF GRA story world, a universe initiated by the creators at the Animationsinstitut. A very special milestone here was that the team created the visuals and trailers for Stuttgart Animated Week 2024 (consisting of: FMX – Film and Media Exchange, Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film and Animation Production Days).

While still studying Interactive Media, Deitmar, Dorsel and Kehle founded the studio Mucks! Games, under whose name they recently published THE BEAR. The game is available for iOS systems.

Find out more about WORLD OF GRA and THE BEAR here.

Source: Press Release, Animationsinstitut / FABW

Congratulations to the team!!!

Learn more about the World of Gra and meet its creators at FMX and ITFS!

Mucks! Games at DCP 2024, Photo by Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images for Marchsreiter Communications

Night of Shame on April 26, 2024!

Night of Shame

Night of Shame is the curated film show that celebrates filmmakers’ worst! From charmingly incompetent to all out shameful – established directors excavate their questionable films and submit them to the fascinated gaze of a live audience. An introduction, a screening and an on-stage interview with our host Michael Bohnenstingl. Slightly uncomfortable or outrageously funny! Finally our filmmaker is rewarded by the redemptive applause of a loving crowd. Night of Shame makes you feel humbled, elated, and a bit closer to each other. Because ultimately: “We’re all the same in our shame.”

Be there on Friday, April 26, 2024, at 20.00 CET – during Stuttgart Animated Week (aka ITFS (April 23-28, 2024), FMX (April 23-26, 2024) and APD (April 23-25, 2024)) – when it gets really embarrassing again, but also incredibly funny!

Location: Contain’t, Container City Kunstverein Wagenhalle, Nordbahnhofstraße 1, 70191 Stuttgart

Get your tickets as soon as possible, as experience shows that the show is booked up pretty quickly!

Further information on the Night of Shame website and Instagram

The Night of Shame has already taken place at Animationsinstitut, at the Kaboom Festival in Amsterdam and twice during the Stuttgart Animated Week. It is an event organized by Studio Seufz, hosted by ITFS and Animationsinstitut der Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and supported by AMCRS, Film Commission Region Stuttgart, Kulturförderung der Stadt Stuttgart, Sono2, contain’t e.V. and Soybloq.