May 10, 2026

ITFS 2026 – Winners announced

For one week, Stuttgart was immersed in animation fever as ITFS invited both the national and international industry as well as a broad regional audience to discover and experience the very best of animation on screen across around 150 events. The Award Ceremony took place on Saturday evening, May 9, 2026, at Gloria 1. Six film awards and one project award were presented across the various competition categories.

The ITFS International Competition Grand Prix, endowed with € 10,000, went to the short film WITH TAPES AND TOASTS IN THE CAR by Stuttgart-based filmmaker Kiana Naghshineh, a graduate of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Animationsinstitut. The award automatically qualifies the film for the Academy Awards. The French-German co-production also impressed audiences and additionally received the Audience Award, sponsored by SWR. The graduation film SENSUAL by Tanja Nuijten, a graduate of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Animationsinstitut, recieved a Special Mention at the Lotte Reiniger Promotion Award.

WITH TAPES AND TOASTS IN THE CAR, Kiana Nagshineh

Kiana Nagshineh receives the Trixie statue, photo: ITFS, Reiner Pfisterer

Kiana Nagshineh, photo: ITFS, Reiner Pfisterer

ITFS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Grand Prix (Animation Award of the State of Baden-Württemberg and the City of Stuttgart in the amount of 10,000 euros) and Audience Award (Award for the Best Animated Film voted by the Audience in the amount of 6,000 euros,
sponsored by SWR):

WITH TAPES AND TOASTS IN THE CAR (IM AUTO TAPES UND BUTTERBROT)
Germany, France 2025
Director: Kiana Naghshineh | Production: Laïdak Films, ManicMonday | Producers: Antoine Liétout, Henrik von Müller, Ivan Zuber, Kiana Naghshineh | World Sales: Miyu Distribution

Jury: Hisko Hulsing, Melanie Beisswenger, Vera Neubauer

Special Mention at the Lotte Reiniger Promotion Award (Award for the Best Animated Graduation Film in the amount of 10,000 euros, sponsored by MFG Film Funding Baden-Württemberg)

SENSUAL
Germany 2026
Director: Tanja Nuijten | Production: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH | Producer: Avina Graefe | World Sales: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH

Earlier in the festival, on Thursday evening, the German Animation Screenplay Awards and the Trickstar Business Award were presented during the AniX Awards ceremony at the Festival Centre. The festival’s final award was presented on Sunday afternoon on the Open Air stage: the Kids’ Jury honoured the best lm in the ITFS Tricks for Kids Competition in front of an eagerly awaiting audience.

All Winners at ITFS 2026: htt ps://itfs.de/en/programme/winners-2026/

Save the Date: The 34th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film will take place from 27 April to 2 May 2027. h ttps://itfs.de/

February 13, 2026

Berlinale Warm-Up

On February 11, 2026, the Vertretung des Landes Baden-Württemberg beim Bund – represented by the host at the Landesvertretung and State Secretary Rudi Hoogvliet – in cooperation with the Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart (AMCRS) and FMX – Film & Media Exchange, invited to the Berlinale Warm-Up.

The panel guests Arne Braun, State Secretary at the Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst des Landes Baden-Württemberg, Carl Bergengruen, Managing Dirctor of the Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg (MFG), Stefanie Larson, Manager of the Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart (AMCRS), Gerd Nefzer, special effects artist and multiple Academy Award winner, and Wiebke Wiesner, Deputy Managing Director of the Produktionsallianz, addressed – moderated by Dr. Andreas Bareiß, Director of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg – the question of “Zurück in die Zukunft: Wohin steuert Deutschlands führender Animations- und VFX-Standort?” (“Back to the Future: Where Is Germany’s Leading Animation and VFX Hub Heading?”).

The focus was on the investment package of the Bundesregierung, which strengthens the German film industry with €250 million annually, as well as the new Film Funding Act (FFG), which combines public funding with investment obligations for streaming services. The panelists largely agreed that reducing bureaucracy is a key factor in remaining internationally competitive.

Read more:

The Spot: „The Länd setzt aufs Land“, February 12, 2026: https://the-spot-mediafilm.com/news/kinonews/the-laend-setzt-aufs-land

Staatsministerium Baden-Württemberg, February 11, 2026: https://stm.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/service/media/mid/berlinale-warm-up-zurueck-in-die-zukunft-wohin-steuert-deutschlands-fuehrender-animations-und-vfx-standort