“A Sparrow’s Song“ team at the Annie Awards: Vincent Maurer, Tobias Eckerlin, Lilli-Luisa Heckmann (Photo (c) private)
“A Sparrow’s Song” won the award in the Best Student Film category at the 53rd Annie Awards! We congratulate the team behind this diploma project from Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg‘s Animationsinstitut:
Student Director / Student Producer: Tobias Eckerlin, Lead Technical Director: Vincent Maurer, Lead Character Artist: Elias Weber, Lead Animation: Lilli-Luisa Heckmann, Lead Animation: Jiro Magracia, Lead Groom/Feathers Artist: Rebecca Liebelt – and many more!
In the category Best TV/Media – Children, “The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball – Episode: The Rewrite” by Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe won the award. Our CREATORS from Studio Soi were also involved in the production of the animated series.
Animationsinstitut alumni – center Tobias Eckerlin, Vincent Maurer and Lilli-Luisa Heckmann, framed by Oscar Jacobson and Franz Rügamer (nominated for The Undying Pain of Existence) (Photo (c) private)
Lilli-Luisa Heckmann, Tobias Eckerlin, Vincent Maurer (Screenshot Live Stream Annie Awards (ASIFA Hollywood))
January 30, 2026
Grimme Award Nomination for Lena’s Farm
The nomination committees of the 62nd Grimme Awardsconvened in early January and, across the categories Information & Culture, Fiction, Entertainment, and Children & Youth, selected 71 productions and individual achievements from more than 750 submissions for nomination. A total of eleven nominations went to commercial broadcasters and streaming platforms, including two in Information & Culture, four in Fiction, three in Entertainment, and two in the Children & Youth category.
The series “Lena’s Farm” is nominated in the “Children” section of the competition category “Children & Youth”. The series – created by our CREATORS at Studio FILM BILDER and MINYA Film for ZDF – is broadcast on KiKA.
Lena’s Farm, Still: Studio FILM BILDER
The team includes Elena Walf (director and writer), Simon Thummet and Barbara Kuznetsova (writers), Ingo Weis and Jens Ripke-Desaules (editors), as well as Thomas Meyer-Hermann and Miljana Dragicevic (producers), and many more.
The winners of the 62nd Grimme Awards will be announced in March. Fingers crossed for all nominees!
A Sparrow’s Song, Credits: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
The Visual Effects Society has announced the nominations for the 24th VES Awards. The prestigious annual celebration recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation worldwide and the VFX supervisors, VFX producers and hands-on artists who bring this work to life. Also in the running are the visual effects from projects by AMCRS members.
In the category OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT, “A Sparrow’s Song” has made it onto the list of nominees. The project was created by Tobias Eckerlin, Vincent Maurer, Elias Weber, and Lilli-Luisa Heckmann (and many more) as a diploma project at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Animationsinstitut. The film has already won a Student Academy Award in Gold, is currently shortlisted for the 2026 Academy Awards, and was recently nominated for the 2026 Annie Awards.
RISE FX can celebrate a nomination in the category OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE for “The Lost Bus” – Feather River Canyon by the Pulga Bridge – (nominated team: David Schulz, Mareike Loges, Björn Markgraf, and Philipp Hafellner).
Congratulations to everyone involved! Fingers crossed for the VES Awards ceremony on February 25, 2026, at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
Annie Awards nominations for diploma projects from the Animationsinstitut!
Two diploma projects from the Animationsinstitut of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg have made it onto the nomination list for Best Student Film at the 53rd Annie Awards. Congratulations to everyone involved!
A SPARROW’S SONG Student Director / Student Producer: Tobias Eckerlin Lead Technical Director: Vincent Maurer, Lead Character Artist: Elias Weber, Lead Animation: Lilli-Luisa Heckmann, Lead Animation: Jiro Magracia, Lead Groom/Feathers Artist: Rebecca Liebelt – and many more!
A Sparrow’s Song, Credits: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
A SPARROW’S SONG team (l.t.r.): Rebecca Liebelt, Jiro Magracia, Tobias Eckerlin, Vincent Maurer, Lilli-Luisa Heckmann & Elias Weber
THE UNDYING PAIN OF EXISTENCE Student Director: Oscar Jacobson Student Producers: Franz Rügamer, Nadiia Yunatska and many more!
The Undying Pain of Existence, Credits: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
The Undying Pain of Existence, Oscar Jacobson at his Diploma Showroom, FABW
Both projects have already received numerous awards: “A Sparrow’s Song”, for example, has won the Student Academy Award in Gold, while “The Undying Pain of Existence” received an award at the Filmschau Baden-Württemberg. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for the awards ceremony at the 53rd Annual Annie Awards on February 21, 2026! The ceremony can be streamed live here: https://annieawards.org/watch-it-live
The winners of the Baden-Württemberg Film Awards2025 were announced last week. The awards of the 31. Filmschau Baden-Württemberg were presented during a festive ceremony at the Kulturlounge Dürnitz in the Altes Schloss in Stuttgart. AMCRS members were also honored.
All winners Filmschau BW 2025 (Photo: Filmschau BW)
Award Ceremony Filmschau BW 2025 (Photo: MFG)
Oscar Jacobson, a graduate of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Animationsinstitut, was awarded the Baden-Württemberg Film Award in the Animation Film category for “Undying Pain of Existence.”
Statement Jury Animation Film(Nina Prange (Creative Producer), Regina Welker (Animation Director), and Sveta Yuferova (Animation Director)): “The films nominated this year demonstrate a remarkable diversity of visual signatures, techniques, and narrative approaches. Alongside student works, there are independent productions whose production conditions could hardly be more different. The winning film impresses with its visual language, through which the direction translates self-control and the subsequent loss of control into powerful images.”
The Baden-Württemberg Film Award in the VFX Studioscategory goes to artists Peter Lames(a graduate of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Animationsinstitut), Apollonia Hartmann, and David Anastacio of Accenture Song Content Germanyin Stuttgart for “Dune – Prophecy” by Anna Foerster. The team had received Line Producer funding from the MFG.
Statement Jury VFX Studios (Jan Adamczyk (Professor at Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart), Johanna Manz (VFX Producer), and Julia Smola (VFX Producer / HoP BigHugFX)): “What stood out to us about “Dune”, in addition to the first-class quality of the visual effects, was above all the immense complexity, the elaborate development of the look, and the precise design. The visual effects integrate seamlessly into the demanding, iconic look of the “Dune” universe and enhance its visual power in an impressive way. For us, one thing is clear: something truly unique and extraordinary has been created here. The complex asset posed an enormous challenge -and it was mastered in a remarkable manner. We warmly congratulate Accenture Song on this outstanding project and on the well-deserved award.”
For “Habt ihr den gesehen” by Anton Kleinert, the artists David Schubert, Lia Bauer, and Katrin Wohnhas (all from Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart) received the Baden-Württemberg Film Award in the VFX Studentscategory.
Statement Jury VFX Students (Heiko Burkardsmaier (VFX Executive Producer, Head of Business + Legal Affairs, Accenture Song VFX), Johanna Manz (VFX Producer), and Julia Smola (VFX Producer / HoP BigHugFX)): “This project demonstrates in an outstanding way that the use of visual effects has been truly understood. The effects support the story being told in a subtle and effective manner without drawing attention to themselves, and they blend seamlessly into the scenery. In terms of quality, the VFX work is executed so excellently that even experienced professionals would hardly have noticed in some places what had been added without the breakdown – and that is exactly how it should be. At the same time, it is clear that the effort was not reduced to a minimum, but realized with great commitment and genuine passion. The attention to detail and the many creative ideas make the image come alive, atmospheric, and visually engaging.”
The Undying Pain of Existence (Credits: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg)
Habt ihr den gesehen (Credits: Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart)
December 5, 2025
Calls for Entries ITFS 2026 – German Animation Screenplay Award, Animated Games Award and Trickstar Business Award
The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS)2026 will take place from May 5 to 10, 2026. It focuses on artistic animated films and the promotion of young talent. In addition to the feature film competition (submission deadline January 15, 2026), additional categories are now open for submissions: the German Animation Screenplay Award, the Animated Games Award Germany, and the Trickstar Business Award.
The German Animation Screenplay Award recognises outstanding screenplays for feature-length animated films. The goal of the competition is to honor the central role of professional screenwriters in the creation of outstanding films and to encourage the development of exceptional stories for animated films.
The Award for the Best Screenplay for a Feature-Length Animated Film comes with €2,500, sponsored by the Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart (AMCRS).
The Award for the Screenplay with the Greatest International Market Potential is endowed with €2,500, sponsored by our CREATORS from SOLA MEDIA.
For the best screenplay award submissions are possible in German and English, for the market potential award submissions are only possible in English. Submission Deadline: February 1, 2026 | Regulations | Submit here
The two awards will be presented on May 7, 2026, as part of the AniX Awards.
Stefanie Larson with Peter Keydel, Producer of the Best Screenplay at ITFS 2025, “Miss December and the Moon Clan”
Jens Opatz (Authors) and Matthias Drescher (Author, Producer): Winner Screenplay with the Greatest International Market Potential ITFS 2025, “Nessie Junior“
The Animated Games Award Germany is endowed with €5,000 and is sponsored by MFG Baden-Württemberg. It targets developers of high-quality video games who have their primary or secondary residence in Germany.
Eligible for submission are completed games for commercially available platforms that were released after January 1, 2025. The top five games will be nominated for the GameZone and showcased to the public during the event. Submission Deadline: February 15, 2026 | Regulations | Submit here
The Trickstar Business Award honours the best innovative and groundbreaking business model for a particular project or a company in the field of animation. The prize of €7,500 is sponsored by the Verband Region Stuttgart and will be awarded on May 7, 2026, as part of the AniX Awards.
Winner Animated Games Award ITFS 2025: Slow Bros. GmbH with “Harold Halibut“
Winners AniX Award ITFS 2025, all photos: Reiner Pfisterer
November 24, 2025
Filmschau Baden-Württemberg (December 3 to 7, 2025)
The 31. Filmschau Baden-Württembergwill take place from December 3 to 7, 2025, in Stuttgart’s Innenstadtkinos, letting the film region of Baden-Württemberg shine.For five days, 130 current films from the southwest, glamorous premieres, and exciting guests await visitors. The Filmschau Baden-Württemberg, the state film festival in Stuttgart, was launched in 1994 on the initiative of the state of Baden-Württemberg and is organized by the Filmbüro Baden-Württemberg e.V. It was held for the first time in November 1995 as an independent event and attracts more than 6,000 visitors each year.
In the competition for the Baden-Württembergischer Filmpreis, the best productions are selected by expert juries in the categories Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best Short Film, Best Animated Film, and Best Commercial, Best VFX Studio, and Best VFX Students.
The program also features a strong presence of AMCRS members, including numerous projects by alumni and students from Baden-Württemberg’s film and media schools.
Animationsinstitutof the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg: LINIE 12 (Director: Sarah Schulz), Germany Premiere; SURVIVOR (Director: Leszek Plichta), World Premiere; THE AMAZING KITSUVERSE (Director: Leo Neumann), World Premiere; THE SKY WAS CANDY (Director: Anh Tú Nguyen), Baden-Württemberg Premiere; EVER ENDING SUMMER (Director: Nikki Girod, Sylvia Jorde), World Premiere; GAÏA (Director: Gwenola Heck), World Premiere; THE UNDYING PAIN OF EXISTENCE (Director: Oscar Jacobson), Baden-Württemberg Premiere; SPARK (VFX; Director: Zoi Naum); IF I COULD FLY (VFX; Marco Henn, Alex Kühn (Director), Jan David Gunther & David Gesslbauer); STIGMA (VFX; Aaron Eisel, Sören Schmidt-Clausen (Lead VFX Artists); DRECK (VFX; Konstantin Meidenbauer, Anna Mors, Melissa Öztürk)
Hochschule der Medien: UNGENIESSBAR (Directors: a team of nine students), World Premiere; Habt ihr Den geseh (VFX; David Schubert (VFX Supervisor), Katrin Wohnhas (Compositing Supervisor), Lia Bauer (CG Supervisor); HIRAETH (VFX: Jan Schubert (VFX Supervisor), Marvin Kampa (CG Supervisor), Alina Wahl (Compositing Supervisor)
Merz Akademie: OBSCURA (Director: Luna Wagner Rodriguez), World Premiere; OBLATIO (Director: Felix Remmen), World Premiere; MYKOLAIV, MARCEL, MY MOM AND I (Director: Ulana Drashchenko); IRON LOVE (Director: Ruta Vasiliauskaite), Weltpremiere; RITMICA (Director: Ekaterina Gradoboeva), World Premiere; SCHWERTER UND GÖFFEL – TRANSMASKULINE EUPHORIE (Director: Florentine Fritz)
Studio FILM BILDER: 3 KAPITÄNE (Director: Julia Ocker), World Premiere; VOLLES NEST (Director: Elena Walf); TOMS GEBURTSTAGSKINO (Director: Andreas Hykade); DR. DR. THEMEFART (Director: Andreas Hykade); THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT (Director: Christoph Horch), Baden-Württemberg Premiere; PASTA! (Director: Gottfried Mentor)
Accenture Song Content Germany: THE PENGUIN (VFX; Emanuel Fuchs (VFX Supervisor), Peter Lames (VFX Supervisor), Amelie Dillig (VFX Producer)); DUNE: PROPHECY (VFX; David Anastacio (VFX Supervisor), Peter Lames (VFX Supervisor), Apollonia Hartmann (VFX Producer); LEBEN – DER FILM (VFX; Adam Wesierski (VFX Supervisor, VFX Producer), Jan Burda (VFX Supervisor, VFX Producer)
Pixomondo/ LAVAlabs: WOODWALKERS (VFX; Max Riess (VFX Supervisor Pixomondo), Martin Jurado (VFX Supervisor LAVAlabs), Sven Martin (VFX-Supervisor Pixomondo))
LAVAlabs: THE DEAD OF WINTER (VFX; Juri Stanossek (VFX Supervisor), Alexandra Stautmeister (VFX Producer)
Animationsinstitut Graduation film DETLEV wins German Short Film Award 2025
Press Release, Ludwigsburg, November 21, 2025
On November 20, 2025, the German Short Film Award was presented in Hamburg by Dr. Wolfram Weimer, Minister of State for Culture and the Media. In the category “Animated Film up to 30 minutes” DETLEV (Director & Producer: Ferdinand Ehrhardt, Producer: Saskia Stirn), a stop-motion short film produced by Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (FABW), took home the prize. The German Short Film Award is the most prestigious national distinctionfor short films in Germany.
Still DETLEV, Credits: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
In DETLEV a man in his mid-forties, who is constantly freezing, drives to a lonely gas station every night to order a microwaved Toast Hawaii sandwich. Detlev indulges in this bizarre ritual because it is the only thing that gives him warmth. When a stranger observes him one night, his world begins to fall apart.
Director Ferdinand Ehrhardt is deeply grateful for the team experience he gained during the very complex production of the stop-motion film at Animationsinstitut of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg: “Working on DETLEV taught me that it’s good to reach out to the people around me, that trusting in the work of others pays off, and that collective work can create something far greater than I could’ve ever achieved on my own.”
Dr. Andreas Bareiss, Managing Director of FABW, highlights: “What a success! Congratulations to Ferdinand and the entire DETLEV team! The award is well deserved – and joins a long list of other well-deserved awards that FABW productions have already received this year.”
After the ceremony Ferdinand Ehrhardt expresses his gratitude about the award: “This award is an amazing honour, it fills me with pride and gives me the courage to continue on my path of filmmaking. I would like to thank our huge team for pouring so much heart and soul into these thirteen minutes of film during the three years of its production. Furthermore I would like to thank the Animationsinstitut and all of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg – there is no other film school in Europe that would have made an animation project of this magnitude possible. Thank you for allowing us to do this, and thank you for allowing me to continue doing it!”
Dr. Jan Pinkava, Director of Animationsinstitut, adds: “At the Animationsinstitut, we’re super proud of DETLEV. Using the painstaking hand-crafted medium of stop-motion animation, Ferdi and the team have created a moving and funny story full of heart and real human feeling. A very German tale, rewarded by audiences all over the world, and now again at home. Congratulations!”
Director and Producer Ferdinand Ehrhardt, Photo: Henrike Ehrhardt
Producer Saskia Stirn, Photo: Saskia Stirn
In addition to honoring DETLEV, the German Short Film Award recognized another FABW project: The film AT HOME I FEEL LIKE LEAVING (Director: Simon Maria Kubiena) took home the award for feature film (15 to 30 minutes).
Since 1956, the Federal Government of Germany honours and promotes filmmakers with this award. The award is generously endowed with a sum of 255,000 € that is awarded annually across nominations and gold medals in several categories, as well as an additional 20,000 € for the best medium-length film.
The series LENA’S FARM, created by our CREATORS from Studio Film Bilder, has won the renowned Japan Prize in the Pre-Schoolcategory. Director Elena Walf will accept the award on November 20, 2025, in Tokyo.
LENA’S FARM is aimed at young children and their families, portraying the colorful life on a farm. With empathy and humor, Elena Walf transforms the relationships among the farm’s animal residents into poetic stories and lovingly drawn images. Animated in classic hand-drawn style, each film bears the author’s distinctive touch down to the finest detail, and every one of the 26 episodes (each 5 minutes and 40 seconds long) also works as a self-contained short film.
Produced by Studio Film Bilder in co-production with ZDF and Minya Film (Zagreb), the series received funding from MFG Baden-Württemberg, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, and Creative Europe MEDIA.
Within just a few months of its release, LENA’S FARM has already won 17 awards, including at Cartoons on the Bay and the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The series was broadcast on KiKA and has so far been sold to twelve international broadcasters and streaming platforms, including Disney Europe. The world sales company Meta Media (London) believes that the highly regarded Japan Prize will help LENA’S FARM win the hearts of even more children around the world.
Source: Studio Film Bilder
October 10, 2025
A SPARROW’S SONG wins Gold Student Academy Award!
Press Release Animationsinstitut, Oct. 7, 2025
The diploma film A SPARROW’S SONG by Tobias Eckerlin, produced at Animationsinstitut of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg was officially awarded a Gold Student Academy Award on Monday, Oct. 6! The short film is one of only 12 award recipients, from more than 3,000 entries for the 52nd Student Academy Awards.
This prize is not only a special honour for the team, but also makes the film officially eligible for consideration for the 98th Oscars in 2026 – a significant milestone for Animationsinstitut as well, although not the first time!
A SPARROW’S SONG team (l.t.r.): Rebecca Liebelt, Jiro Magracia, Tobias Eckerlin, Vincent Maurer, Lilli-Luisa Heckmann & Elias Weber
A SPARROW’S SONG, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
Tobias Eckerlin, director and producer, describes the ceremony as a unique experience and adds, on behalf of the entire team: “We are very grateful and incredibly happy about the recognition, the great time we had in New York, and the contacts we made there. A big thank you to the Academy, German Films, and the Animationsinstitut for their support! Now we are eagerly looking forward to next year’s Oscar ceremony.”
Dr. Jan Pinkava, Director of the Animationsinstitut, adds “We are thrilled at the success of A Sparrow’s Song, and delighted that the creativity and talent of the students of Animationsinstitut has once again been recognized with this Student Academy Award. Congratulations!”
A SPARROW’S SONG is a 3D animated short film based on a true story. It tells the story of an elderly widow during World War II, who unexpectedly draws new hope through her connection with an injured sparrow. Together, they spread this newfound hope and thus manage to offer some comfort to others in these difficult times.
In the day leading up to the awards ceremony, Tobias took part in a special Academy programme in New York – including panels with industry experts, media trainings and an exclusive dinner with high ranking representatives of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Accompanied by his core team – Lilli-Luisa Heckmann, Jiro Magracia, Vincent Maurer, Rebecca Liebelt and Elias Weber – he accepted the Gold Student Academy Award on behalf of all 56 students and graduates who contributed to this project
This marks already the eighth Student Academy Award for the Filmakademie and the second for Animationsinstitut – further proof of the outstanding quality of education at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and the international visibility of its diploma projects.
