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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

Nominations for the Deutscher Filmpreis 2024 announced!

LOLA, Deutscher Filmpreis © Clemens Porikys

This week, the Deutsche Filmakademie announced the nominations for the Deutscher Filmpreis 2024!

Among the nominees are also AMCRS HEROES! In the “Best Visual Effects” category, Apollonia Hartmann and Jan Burda from Accenture Song #VFX as well as Juri Stanossek (LAVAlabs) and their teams can hope for the coveted LOLA for their work on the MFG-funded film “Girl You Know It’s True”. The film, which deals with the rise and sudden fall of pop duo Milli Vanilli in the 1980s, is also nominated in the categories “Best Production Design”, “Best Costume Design” and “Best Make-up Design”.

Also nominated in the “Best Visual Effects” category are Animationsinstitut alumni Kariem Saleh and Adrian Meyer for their work on “Die Theorie von allem” (The Universal Theory). The film is also on the list of nominees for “Best Feature Film” and “Best Director”.

The LOLA winners will be announced on May 3, 2024. We are keeping our fingers crossed for all nominees!

More about the Deutscher Filmpreis and all nominations

All nominations of MFG-funded productions

All nominations of productions by Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and its alumni

Wanted: Trainee Communications (m/f/d) at Animationsinstitut!

The Animationsinstitut is part of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and one of the world’s leading institutions for Animation, Visual Effects, Technical Directing, Animation/Effects Producing and Interactive Media. In their Research and Development Department, a highly skilled and motivated team of researchers, engineers and artists works on the next generation of tools, workflows and content for Film, Animation, VFX and XR-Immersive Media.

They are looking for a trainee (m/f/d) in the field of communication at the earliest possible date!

Are you fresh out of university and interested in content marketing for social media and moving images? Then join the team in the Communications department in the external presentation of Animationsinstitut and the acquisition of international talents.

Tasks:

  • Writing texts for press relations, social media and print products
  • Supporting the Animationsinstitut’s social media channels and developing new formats
  • Support in the regular updating of the website and content creation
  • Collaboration in the organization and implementation of events, such as the annual FMX, as well as support in representing Animationsinstitut at trade fairs and events
  • Support in the creation of print products and merchandise
  • After training, taking on your own projects and parts of the day-to-day business in collaboration with the team

Apply now – the application deadline is March 24, 2024! Complete job advertisement

Get your tickets for FMX and ITFS!

In a few weeks, Stuttgart will once again become a hotspot for the animation and VFX industry and for animation fans worldwide when the FMX – Film & Media Exchange conference, the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film and the Animation Production Days open the doors to their visitors.

FMX (Photo: Dominique Brewing)
ITFS Gala (Photo: Reiner Pfisterer)
APDs (Photo: Reiner Pfisterer)

The FMX will take place from April 23 to 26, 2024 on site at Haus der Wirtschaft. Numerous presentations will subsequently be available online on demand from April 27 to May 31. The ITFS will take place in Stuttgart from April 23 to 28, 2024 at various locations and on Stuttgart’s Schlossplatz. The co-production market Animation Production Days will be organized as a cooperation between FMX and ITFS from April 23 to 25, 2024.

From now on, FMX Conference, Day and Online Passes as well as ITFS Festival and Professional Passesare are available in their ticket shops. Worthwhile for visiting both events is a Combi Pass which is available in both the FMX and ITFS ticket shops (until March 15 at the Early Bird rate).

Ticket shop FMX | Website FMX

Ticket shop ITFS | Website ITFS

Registration APD | Website APD

Open Stage Kreativ BW @ BRYCKE

Image: MFG Baden-Württemberg

The Open Stage Kreativ BW is Baden-Württemberg’s networking platform for cultural and creative professionals from the various creative industries. On February 7, 2024, 17:00-19:00 CET, the event series takes place in the Pop-up-Space BRYCKE in Stuttgart (Schmale Straße 9-13, 70173 Stuttgart). Two projects funded under the “KMU-Transfer KREATIV“ program (a funding program of Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Tourismus Baden-Württemberg) are presented.

Cross innovation with the games and animation media industry:

The fields of games, animation and virtual reality are becoming increasingly important and offer great potential for companies from various sectors. The aim of “KMU-Transfer KREATIV” is to promote cross-industry collaboration with creative companies and to demonstrate the added value of cooperation and the use of new technologies.

Together with Ulrich Lang, the developer of niche fragrances from Backnang, the creative company acameo from Tübingen is implementing virtual distribution and presentation options by modeling virtual spaces and animating product-specific fragrances.

With Xbrick, wd3 GmbH has developed a universally applicable seating cube. Now, together with the creative agency halbautomaten Kommunikationsdesign GmbH – one of the AMCRS HEROES – an AR app is to be developed that will add an additional level to the playful and animated learning with Xbrick as a digital extension. Both companies are based in Stuttgart.

Speakers:

  • Simone Braun, halbautomaten Kommunikationsdesign, Stuttgart
  • Anna Katharina Brinkschulte, Reviewer KMU-Transfer KREATIV, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Ludwigsburg
  • Dr. Frank Dürr, acameo Gruppe für digitale Kommunikation, Tübingen
  • Ulrich Lang, ULRICH LANG NEW YORK, Backnang
  • Helen Scholz, wd3_spatial design, Stuttgart

Participation is free of charge. Registration is requested by February 6, 2024. Further information and registration

The Open Stage Kreativ BW is organized by the MFG Baden-Württemberg in cooperation with the Wirtschaftsförderung der Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart and the Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Tourismus Baden-Württemberg.

Diploma Project WORLD OF GRA Creates Visuals for FMX, ITFS and APD

Source: Press Release Animationsinstitut, Ludwigsburg, January 23, 2024

Stills World of Gra, Credits: World of Gra von Mucks! Games, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg

The development of story worlds at the Animationsinstitut has yet another success story: the 2023 diploma project WORLD OF GRA is the face of three leading animated media events in Europe. The conference FMX – Film & Media Exchange (April 23-26, 2024), the Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) (April 23-28, 2024) and the Animation Production Days (APD) (April 23-25, 2024) all chose WORLD OF GRA as their motif for the just released event trailers and visual designs.

For the very first time, custom trailers for each event have been created – each with its own story, focus and theme – by the same authors, from the same narrative universe, illustrating the harmonious spirit of synergy between the three events of “Stuttgart’s Animated Week.” Dr. Jan Pinkava, Director of the Animationsinstitut, welcomes the choice of WORLD OF GRA and sees it as a significant win-win situation: “I am delighted that our talented alumni have created such a beautifully resonant and meaningful collection of graphics and trailers for this year’s FMX, ITFS, and APDs. This is the best of all worlds for the three events, for our graduates, for the Animationsinstitut, and for Stuttgart’s ‘Animated Week’. Congratulations.”

WORLD OF GRA is a universe of many different stories that share one overarching theme: growth. The beings of the WORLD OF GRA all have one big problem. They grow and grow and just won`t stop growing. Clara Deitmar, the creator of WORLD OF GRA, believes that this theme is a universal human experience – life means change, growth, moving on.

Mirroring the IP itself, all of them have grown personally and artistically throughout the creation process and their Interactive Media studies at the Animationsinstitut. The production of the visuals and trailers for FMX, ITFS and APD 2024 marks a special milestone, as the producer Julius Dorsel explains: “It’s a badge of honour to be selected to provide the trailers for all three events! A bit intimidating and just wonderful that so many people are going to see our characters on the big screens.”

Trailer FMX 2024
Trailer ITFS 2024
Trailer APD 2024

Techtalks Presentations online!

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.

You can now watch the presentations of the TechTalks Stuttgart, which took place on November 22, 2023 in the Albrecht-Ade-Studio of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, online!

„USD Project Workflows“ | Paul Golter, Technical Directing, Animationsinstitut / Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg

„Unreal Nerfs“ | Max Schmierer, b.ReX

„Projectionmapping & Künstliche Intelligenz“ | Maximilian Pfisterer, Frischvergiftung

We hope you enjoy watching it!

TechTalks Stuttgart is an initiative of the following institutions: Animation Media Cluster Region Stuttgart | MFG Baden-Württemberg | Film Commission Region Stuttgart | Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart | Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg | Animationsinstitut

TechTalks Stuttgart on Facebook

“The Last Bar” Best Animated Film at Filmschau BW 2023!

“The Last Bar”

“The Last Bar” was awarded the Baden-Württemberg Film Prize for the Best Animated Film at the Filmschau Baden-Württemberg 2023. The stop-motion film was created as a graduation project by the team around director Arne Hain – including Svenja Weber, Theresa Worm, Torben Hensel and Louis Wick – at the Animationsinstitut of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.

The jury (producer Sven Bergmann, director and author Sveta Yuferova and Matthias Bäuerle) gave the following reasons for their choice: “Unflinchingly cleverly animated, obsessed with detail in every aspect of design and almost suicidally produced – considering the insane amount of work involved in stop-motion films, the filmmakers* around Arne Hein, Svenja Weber, Theresa Worm, Torben Hensel and Louis Wick present us with a cinematically visually stunning and dramaturgically highly unusual and powerful debut work. On the big screen, ‘The Last Bar’ draws us deep into an existentialist merry-go-round with mysterious but also loving characters. The result is great, impetuous and impressive cinematic passion. This is Sturm und Drang. This is dreaming with open eyes. More of this, please. Much more.”

Congratulations from the bottom of our hearts!

Press Release Filmschau BW

„The Last Bar“ on Arne Hain’s web page

“Little Fan” on the List of Oscar 2024 Qualifying Animated Shorts

“Little Fan”

One of the animated short films that can hope to win an Oscar in 2024 is “Little Fan”. The film, created by director Sveta Yuferova, co-director Shad Lee Bradbury, producer Paul Maresch, and their team, tells the story of a little fan whose journey takes a surprising turn when he comes across a mysterious object.

Sveta Yuferova and Paul Maresch both graduated from Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg‘s Animationsinstitut in 2015, Yuferova in animation and Maresch as animation/effects producer. Yuferova has recently started working as a lecturer at the Cologne Game Lab, in addition to her ongoing work as a director and animator. Maresch’s graduation films won various film awards, among others the film “CHILD” was nominated for the Student Oscar. Afterwards he realized his first commissioned production for Disney XD Channel and participated in the animated feature film „Manou the Swift“.

“Little Fan” has already screened at festivals worldwide and won the award in the “Best Production For Young Children” category at the Chicago International Children Film Festival.

The Oscar shortlist voting begins on December 14, 2023, and the shortlist of 15 films will be announced on December 21. We are keeping our fingers crossed!

More about „Little Fan“

Oscar 2024 Longlist Animated Shorts at Animation Magazine

AMCRS HEROES at the Filmschau BW 2023

Logo Filmschau BW 2023
So ganz normal ist das ja nicht (Merz Akademie)

The aim of the 29. Filmschau Baden-Württemberg (December 6 to 10, 2023) is to offer filmmakers – both professionals and up-and-coming filmmakers – from Baden-Württemberg a platform to showcase their work. AMCRS HEROES will also be on board.

To kick off the Filmschau, a panel discussion will take place on December 6, 2023, on the topic of „Künstliche Intelligenz – Chance und Risiko für die Film- und Fernsehbranche“, organized by MFG Baden-Württemberg.

The panelists:
Heiko Burkardsmaier, VFX Executive Producer / Head of Business & Legal Affairs at Accenture Song Content Germany in Stuttgart
Dr. Nadine Hammele, Storytelling Consultant at Walt Disney Company German in Munich
Andy Közle, Senior CGI Artist / Technical Director at the Stuttgart-based company unexpected
Hanna Langenberg, student of computer visualistics and design at Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences, employed by LAVAlabs Moving Images
Martin Thau, lecturer, dramaturge, screenwriter and scriptwriter in Munich, is part of the founding team of the Drehbuchwerkstatt München at the University of Television and Film
Moderation: Nadine Krüger, TV presenter and actress

Event dates:
December 6, 2023, 17:30-19.00 CET (entrance 17:00 CET)
GLORIA 2 Innenstadtkinos, Königstr. 20 (Passage), 70173 Stuttgart
Admission is free. Registration is requested but not mandatory.

More information

The following animation and VFX projects by AMCRS HEROES will be part of the film and competition program (no claim to completeness):

IT’S JUST A WHOLE, Director: Bianca Scali, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
SCRUBBY, directed by Paul Vollet, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
SO GANZ NORMAL IST DAS JA NICHT, Director: Iris Maier, Merz Akademie, Hochschule für Gestaltung, Kunst und Medien, Stuttgart
TOWN HALL SQUARE, Director: Christian Kaufmann, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
KOLAJ, Director: Besen Dilek, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
COSMOSS, Director: David Sick, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
CODE RAT, Director: Matthias Strasser, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
THE LAST BAR, Director: Arne Hain, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
LEGENDARY TALE, Director: Ben Marquardt, Hochschule der Medien
BEARLY IN LOVE, Director: Rebecca Liebelt, Hochschule der Medien
DODO, Director: Yi Luo, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
ANIMANIMALS, Director: Julia Ocker, Studio FILM BILDER
RUSH – PORSCHE GT3, Director: Andreas Justus Burz, Recom Film GmbH & Co KG
CIELO – MASERATI MC20, Director: Alessandra Kila, Recom Film GmbH & Co KG

Link to Filmschau BW 2023