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Filmschau Baden-Württemberg (December 3 to 7, 2025)

The 31. Filmschau Baden-Württemberg will 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.

Animationsinstitut of 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)

Hochschule Offenburg: RESET (Director: Marius Mrohs, Emilie Bein)

The M.A.R.K. 13-Group: THE LIGHT OF AISHA (Director: Shadi Adib), Germany Premiere

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)

Sources: Press Release Filmschau BW | Merz Akademie

Jobs at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg

The Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg is one of the most renowned training institutions for film and media in Germany and also enjoys an excellent international reputation. This is ensured by a strongly team- and practice-oriented teaching concept and more than 300 guest lecturers each year. In addition, the Filmakademie includes the Animationsinstitut and is home to the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris. The Filmakademie is organizer of the annual international conference FMX – Film & Media Exchange.

They are currently offering the following job opportunities:

Project Manager (m/f/d) for the FMX – Film & Media Exchange: starting April 1, 2026, application no later than December 10, 2025 – Job Posting

Coordinator IT Infrastructure (m/f/d) (Koordinator*in (m/w/d) für IT-Infrastruktur): starting January 1, 2026, application no later than November 26, 2025 – Job Posting

IT-Support (1st & 2nd Level) (m/f/d) (Mitarbeiter*in (m/w/d) für IT-Support (1st & 2nd Level)): starting January 1, 2026, application no later than November 26, 2025 – Job Posting

Staff Member Communications, Social Media and Events (m/f/d) (Mitarbeiter*in (m/w/d) für Kommunikation, Social Media und Veranstaltungen): starting January 1, 2026, application no later than November 26, 2025 – Job Posting

For the Research Project “Reallabor Metaverse” at Animationsinstitut:

Pipeline TD-Engineer eXtended Reality (XR) (m/f/d): starting January 1, 2026 or later, application no later than November 30, 2025 – Job Posting

Relations and Communication Manager XR (m/f/d): starting January 1, 2026 or later, application no later than November 30, 2025 – Job Posting

Research Engineer eXtended Reality (XR) (m/f/d): starting January 1, 2026 or later, application no later than November 30, 2025 – Job Posting

Science Communication & Events Coordination (Reallabor and VISTA) (m/f/d): starting January 1, 2026 or later, application no later than November 30, 2025 – Job Posting

Software Developer (Game Engine, Web, XR) (m/f/d): starting January 1, 2026 or later, application no later than November 30, 2025 – Job Posting

User Experience (UX) and XR Application Designer (m/f/d): starting January 1, 2026 or later, application no later than November 30, 2025 – Job Posting

All open positions at Filmakademie and Animationsinstitut

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 distinction for 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. 

Find more information about the German Short Film Award here: https://deutscher-kurzfilmpreis.de/goldene-lolas-fuer-sechs-kurzfilme#

Source: Press Release Animationsinstitut

Trailer DETLEV

The Spot: Recap of the Ludwigsburger Mediendialoge

On October 21, 2025, the opening event of the Ludwigsburger Mediendialoge took place on the campus of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. Leading representatives from politics, business, and culture came together to discuss the future of the media landscape in southwest Germany – Arne Braun, State Secretary, Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Württemberg, Dr. Patrick Rapp, State Secretary, Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Tourismus Baden-Württemberg, Carl Bergengruen, Managing Director, Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg (MFG), Stefanie Larson, Director Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart (AMCRS), Clemens Bratzler, Program Director Information SWR, and Lisa Purtscher, producer at LiseLotte Film and graduate of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (FABW). The panel discussion was moderated by Andreas Bareiß, Director of the Filmakademie. The event was held in cooperation with the industry magazine The Spot.

„Klare Worte statt leerer Versprechen“(“Clear words instead of empty promises”) – that was the conclusion drawn by The Spot’s editor-in-chief Marc Mensch in his article published on October 22, 2025.

Read the full article here.

Screenshot The Spot, 22. Okt. 2025

TECHTALKS on November 3, 2025, at Das Gutbrod

The TechTalks Stuttgart present 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 November 3, 2025 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 is not hybrid, but will be recorded and available at YouTube afterwards.

Program Schedule:

“Node-basiertes 2.5D Rendering“ | Michael Weigl, Student Technical Directing at Animationsinstitut
Michael Weigl presents a stylized rendering framework that was developed as part of a research project and several animation productions. The prototype of this framework was implemented as a node-based toolset within Blender’s “Geometry Nodes.” The goal is to enable new, complex visual styles – both graphic and painterly – in open-source software. The framework includes, among other things, lighting nodes, algorithms for vectorization, tracking functions, as well as a novel 2.5D layer management logic that allows abstract image operations directly within the rendering process. Together with the native functions of Blender’s “Grease Pencil” engine, this enables innovative workflows that combine 2D and 3D within a single context, thus making it possible to intuitively integrate painterly techniques into a 3D production.

“Hybrid Cloud Rendering“ | Holger Schönberger, Royal Render
We will explore how the combination of local infrastructure and the flexibility of the cloud can change your rendering workflows. From accelerating production to scaling resources according to demand, hybrid cloud solutions offer the best of both worlds: efficiency, security, and cost-effectiveness. Let us embark on this journey together and discover how you can overcome your creative challenges faster and more intelligently.

Infoflyer (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

Save the Date: Ludwigsburger Mediendialoge

At the kickoff of the Ludwigsburger Mediendialoge (Ludwigsburg Media Dialogues) on October 21, 2025, leading representatives from politics, business, and culture will discuss the future of the media industry in Southwest Germany.

Confirmed participants include:

  • Arne Braun, State Secretary, Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Württemberg
  • Dr. Patrick Rapp, State Secretary, Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Tourismus Baden-Württemberg
  • Carl Bergengruen, Managing Director, Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg (MFG)
  • Stefanie Larson, Manager, Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart (AMCRS)
  • Clemens Bratzler, Program Director Information, SWR
  • Lisa Purtscher or Lotta Schmelzer, Producer (LiseLotte Film), graduates of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (FABW)

Location: Campus of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg | Date & Time: October 21, 2025, 18.00 CET
Registration required – limited seats available!
Official invitations will be sent out at the end of September.

For questions, please contact Fenja Schnizer or Andreas Friedrich via presse@filmakademie.de.

In Memoriam: Tonio Freitag

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Tonio Freitag.

Most recently working as a freelance Visual Effects Artist and VFX Supervisor, he contributed his talent to Rise FX, Pixomondo, Chasing Carrots, and Unexpected.

Moreover, Tonio Freitag was engaged at the Animationsinstitut of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, working as a Technical Artist for Research & Development and teaching as a lecturer in Visual Effects.

In 2011, he graduated with a diploma from the Animationsinstitut. His diploma project “We Miss You“ was nominated for a VES Award in the category “Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project.”

As Head of 3D at Pixomondo in Stuttgart, he worked on international productions such as “Furious 7“, “Bridge of Spies,“ and “Game of Thrones“. At Rise FX in Stuttgart, he worked as CG Supervisor on projects including “Captain Marvel“, “Avengers: Endgame“, and “Doctor Sleep“.

He was also a long-standing member of the Visual Effects Society.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Tonio Freitag. Our thoughts are with them, and we wish them strength in this difficult time.

Tonio Freitag

Source: LinkedIn, https://animationsinstitut.de/de/studium/lehrende/tonio-freitag

Student Academy Awards 2025 Semifinalists announced!

Among the recently announced semifinalists of the 2025 Student Academy Awards are four projects from the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, including three from the Animationsinstitut!

“Kaulquappe (Polliwog)“ (Animation) by Julia Skala, more information
“A Sparrow’s Song“ (Animation) by Tobias Eckerlin, more information
“The Undying Pain of Existence“ (Animation) by Oscar Jacobson, trailer and more information
“Same, but different – The Image of Women in the Catholic Church“ (Documentary) by Eva-Maria Schauer

Congratulations to everyone involved, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed for the next stage of the selection process!

Complete list of semifinalists

Kaulquappe – Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
A Sparrow’s Song – Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
Trailer „The Undying Pain of Existence“

Event Series “Mittendrin” – Sind wir „FilmLänd“?

ITFS, Photo: Reiner Pfisterer

In the upcoming edition of its “Mittendrin” event series, the Stuttgarter Zeitung turns the spotlight on Baden-Württemberg’s film industry. Titled “Sind wir „FilmLänd“?” (“Are we ‘FilmLänd’?”), the event will take place on Monday, April 28, 2025, at 19:00 CET at the SpardaWelt Eventcenter (Am Hauptbahnhof 3, Stuttgart) – just one week ahead of the Stuttgart Animated Week (ITFS, May 6-11, 2025 / FMX, May 6-9, 2025 / APD, May 6-8, 2025).

Moderator Nikolai B. Forstbauer, a journalist with the Stuttgarter Zeitung, will discuss the topic with Annegret Richter, Artistic Director of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, Andreas Bareiss, incoming Director of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg as of May 1; Simone Baumann, Managing Director of the film industry network  German Films in Munich; Jochen Laube, an award-winning film producer (Sommerhaus Filmproduktion GmbH & Sommerhaus Serien GmbH) and lecturer based in Ludwigsburg; and Arne Braun, State Secretary at the Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst des Landes Baden-Württemberg (Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of Baden-Württemberg).

The event is free of charge. All information and the required registration can be found at https://zeitung-erleben.de/event/mittendrin-sind-wir-filmlaend/

Interview Stuttgarter Zeitung with State Secretary Arne Braun

Interview Stuttgarter Zeitung with film producer Jochen Laube

Virtuelle Welten & XR EXPO 2025

Baden-Württemberg is the first federal state in Germany to organize the event “Virtuelle Welten – Chancen im Metaverse erleben” (“Virtual Worlds – Exploring Opportunities in the Metaverse“), consisting of both a congress and a trade fair. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism of Baden-Württemberg is joining forces with the Virtual Dimension Center Fellbach (VDC) and partnering with XR EXPO to bring together expertise from pioneering companies in the Metaverse sector – including industry, the creative economy, research, and gaming – along with leading research institutes and developers. The two-day event, taking place on May 8 and 9, 2025, aims to showcase the diverse facets and existing possibilities of the Metaverse through demonstrators, while also offering fresh impulses for future developments.

The events Virtual Worlds and XR EXPO will be jointly organized by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the VDC on May 8, 2025, and will take place at the Porsche Arena and the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart. Admission and exhibitor costs are free of charge. The target audience includes professionals and executives from industry, crafts, and services, startups, students, pupils, employees of state administrations and other federal states, as well as anyone eager not to miss out on the virtual age. The XR EXPO congress on May 9, 2025, will be exclusively organized by the VDC and held at the Maritim Hotel in Stuttgart (ticket costs for this day are 250 euros).

On behalf of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, MFG Baden-Württemberg is organizing the THE CREATIVE LÄND exhibition area (May 8, starting at 13:30 CET in the Porsche Arena), featuring live demos, an open stage, and interactive experience labs. Companies from the fields of games, animation, VFX, and UX will showcase their creative XR applications, offering insights into the opportunities and potential of Metaverse technologies. The program will be hosted by Anna Katharina Brinkschulte, Head of Interactive Media at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Animationsinstitut (read her guest article “Neue Perspektiven für die Kreativwirtschaft im Metaverse“.)

Additional AMCRS members will also be participating in THE CREATIVE LÄND exhibition area: Pixelcloud will take part in the “Pitch & Connect: Exhibitors ‘Games BW & Interactive Media” session at 14:15 CET. Halbautomaten will join the “Pitch & Connect: Exhibitors ‘Cross Innovation” session at 16:45 CET. Also on May 8, at 15:00 CET, the “Hands-on Workshop: Rapid Prototyping von Virtuellen Erlebnis-Welten mit Hilfe von KI-Tools und VR-Brillen” will take place, led by Prof. Dr. Jürgen Scheible, Professor of Interaction Design at Hochschule der Medien, in the CodeLab room at the Porsche Arena, At 15:30 CET, Maximilian Schmierer from b.ReX will present in the Creative Länd Experience Labs on the topic: “Das digitale Ich im Metaverse – Avatare als neue Kommunikationsform“ in the PixelRoom of the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle.

See the complete program: https://event.cyberlaend.eu/programm

More information: https://xrexpo.tech/cyberlaend-en