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Pre Fixe with Animation Lounge – Monster Mia

Together with the Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH (organizer of Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film) and the AMCRS, the MFG organizes the Pre Fixe with Animation Lounge as a prelude to the monthly network meeting of the film industry (Jour Fixe). Speakers from the animation film scene present practical examples of current projects and provide insights into their work.

Monster Mia

On Monday, July 13, 2026, at 18.00 CET, the topic will be “MONSTER MIA – von der Filmakademie an die Finsterwald Akademie in 27 Jahren“ (MONSTER MIA – From the Filmakademie to the Rottwich Academy in 27 Years).

It all began in 1997 at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg: a chance encounter led to M.A.R.K.13™, which grew into a group of companies – and ultimately into MONSTER MIA, an international animated feature film with deep roots in the region.

Verena Fels (Director) and Dominique FLINX Schuchmann (Producer) – both alumni of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Animationsinstitut – will share the story of the film’s journey to the big screen. Joined by numerous artists from Baden-Württemberg and local partners such as Sola Media, they will provide insights into the making of the film, which is set to premiere just in time for Halloween 2026.

The event will take place at the Kulturzentrum Merlin, Augustenstraße 72, 70178 Stuttgart. Admission is free.

All participants are cordially invited to attend the subsequent MFG Jour Fixe from 19:00 CET. The Jour Fixe offers a unique opportunity for exchange and networking with colleagues from the MFG Film Funding Unit.

MFG

Trailer Monster Mia

Pre Fixe with Animation Lounge – with Amelie Dillig

Together with the Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH (organizer of Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film) and the AMCRS, MFG organizes the Pre Fixe with Animation Lounge as a prelude to the monthly network meeting of the film industry (Jour Fixe). Speakers from the animation film scene present practical examples of current projects and provide insights into their work.

The next Animation Lounge will take place on Monday, March 9, 2026, 18:00 CET. Under the title “Creating the VFX Of THE PENGUIN,” Amelie Dillig, Producer at Accenture Song Content Germany, talks about what it takes to create the visual effects for an award-winning show like “The Penguin.” In her presentation, Amelie Dillig explains how the VFX are produced from start to finish. Together with her, you can explore menacing cityscapes and examine how they were designed to fully immerse the audience in the world of Gotham City.

Amelie Dillig studied Audiovisual Media at HdM in Stuttgart from 2011 until 2015. She then started her career as a VFX Coordinator at Pixomondo and worked her way up to VFX Producer over the years. After more than six years, Amelie left Pixomondo and joined Accenture as a VFX Producer in 2023. Her credits include “Stranger Things,” “The Penguin, Avatar – The Last Airbender,” “The Mandalorian,” “Game Of Thrones.”

Amelie Dillig (VFX Producerin Accenture Song) | © Accenture Song

The event will take place at the Kulturzentrum Merlin, Augustenstraße 72, 70178 Stuttgart. Admission is free.

All participants are cordially invited to attend the subsequent MFG Jour Fixe from 19:00 CET. The Jour Fixe offers a unique opportunity for exchange and networking with colleagues from the MFG Film Funding Unit.

Source and further information

Jobs at ITFS

The Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH (FMF) is the organizer of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS), one of the world’s largest animation festivals, which takes place annually over six days in April/May. It is also co-organizer of the Animation Production Days (APDs), which take place at the same time as FMX – Film & Media Exchange. The next ITFS will be held from May 5 to 10, 2026.

They are currently offering several job opportunities:

Trainee in Sponsorship & Marketing (m/f/d)
Starting January 7, 2026, full time (40 hours/week)
Application with résumé by November 30, 2025, via email to bewerbung@festival-gmbh.de – Job Posting (German)

Guest Management / Hosting Staff (m/f/d)
Starting Dezember 1, 2025, part time (60 %, 24 hours/week)
Application with résumé, cover letter, and information on salary expectations and start date by November 30, 2025, via email to bewerbung@festival-gmbh.de– Job Posting (German)

All job offers at ITFS

Team ITFS 2025, Photo: Max Kullmann

Pre-Fixe with Animation Lounge – Mucks! Games

Together with the Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH (organizer of Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film) and the AMCRS, MFG organizes the Pre Fixe with Animation Lounge as a prelude to the monthly network meeting of the film industry (Jour Fixe). Speakers from the animation film scene present practical examples of current projects and provide insights into their work.

The next Animation Lounge will take place on Monday, November 10, 2025, 18:00 CET. Under the title “Making Meaningful Games – Social Impact without the Seriousness,” the founders of Mucks! Games will talk about their studio and the games they create.

About Mucks! Games: We are a weird bunch of creatives located in Ludwigsburg, Germany. After working together on games and interactive installations during our studies at Animationsinstitut in Ludwigsburg, we decided to start something all our own. A place to show our unique visual style, to tell stories that go deep and create experiences with an impact. We want to make meaningful, beautiful games that stay with you, long after you have turned off the screen.

The event will take place at the Kulturzentrum Merlin, Augustenstraße 72, 70178 Stuttgart. Admission is free.

All participants are cordially invited to attend the subsequent MFG Jour Fixe from 19:00 CET. The Jour Fixe offers a unique opportunity for exchange and networking with colleagues from the MFG Film Funding Unit.

More information

Jobs at ITFS

The Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH (FMF) is the organizer of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS), one of the world’s largest animation festivals, which takes place annually over six days in April/May. It is also co-organizer of the Animation Production Days (APDs), which take place at the same time as FMX – Film & Media Exchange. The next ITFS will be held from May 5 to 10, 2026.

They are currently offering several job opportunities:

Head of Communication and Marketing (f/m/d) (Leitung Kommunikation und Marketing (m/w/d)), starting no later than November 1, 2025, part-time (75–80%), initially limited to 2 years – Job Posting (German)

Trainee for Print Logistics & Program Organization (f/m/d) (Volontär Kopienlogistik & Programmorganisation (m/w/d)), starting October 1, 2025, initially limited to 2 years – Job Posting (German)

Working Student in IT & Application Support (f/m/d) (Werkstudent IT- & Anwendungsbetreuer (m/w/d)) – Job Posting (German)

Please submit your application by August 31, 2025, via email to bewerbung@festival-gmbh.de

All job offers at ITFS

Team ITFS 2025, Photo: Max Kullmann

Pre Fixe in July – with Dr. Andreas Bareiß

Together with the Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH (organizer of Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film) and the AMCRS, MFG organizes the Pre Fixe as a prelude to the monthly network meeting of the film industry (Jour Fixe). Speakers from the animation and film scene present practical examples of current projects and provide insights into their work.

The next Pre Fixe will take place on Monday, July 14, 2025, 18:00 CET. Guest: Dr. Andreas Bareiß has been Director of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg since May 1. In the Pre Fixe, he will share his perspective on the Filmakademie, where he identifies fields of action, and what strategy he is pursuing to make the Filmakademie and its students fit for the future in a rapidly changing media industry.

The event will take place at the Kulturzentrum Merlin, Augustenstraße 72, 70178 Stuttgart. Admission is free.

Dr. Andreas Bareiß, (c) FABW / Anja Fellerhoff

All participants are cordially invited to attend the subsequent MFG Jour Fixe from 19:00 CET. The Jour Fixe offers a unique opportunity for exchange and networking with colleagues from the MFG Film Funding Unit.

More information

23. NaturVision Filmfestival, July 18-21, 2024

The NaturVision Film Festival Ludwigsburg aims to provide effective impetus for the transformation of our society – from July 18 to 21, 2024, with current nature and environmental films on the big screen, in the cinema and with free admission to the open air. The next generation is particularly important to the NaturVision team. A wide range of films and hands-on activities are aimed at families, children and schools. In addition to environmental education, the main aim is to awaken enthusiasm for nature and show even the youngest children what and how they themselves can contribute to environmental protection.

A recurring theme of the 23rd edition is activism and its many forms. How is it lived? How can it succeed? And where does it reach its limits? This is shown in the differentiated portraits of young climate activists such as the documentaries System Change – A Story of Growing Resistance, Was brennt or Bis hierhin und wie weiter. On the other hand, NaturVision promotes young talent behind the camera with the award for Best Newcomer Film and the presentation of the films on the big screen. The creative potential of tomorrow’s filmmakers is enormous. This is proven by the focus on New Filmmakers with top-class contributions from film students from all over the world, including the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield.

But even beyond the big screen, becoming active is the central theme and the main concern of the festival. Festival director Beatrix Wesle emphasizes: “It was very important to us to encourage more optimism in climate protection with NaturVision – with inspiration instead of frustration, action instead of passivity.” This hands-on approach is reflected in formats such as the „Anders Wirtschaften“ ideas exchange in cooperation with environmental and sustainability start-ups from the region and the “Market of Perspectives” with stands from relevant companies and initiatives, both open air in the Akademiehof.

Our CREATORS from the Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH and the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) are also on board – FMF as co-organizer and ITFS as a partner. On Friday, July 19, at 15.00 CET, in the TRICKSTAR NATURE AWARD program, a selection of outstanding animated short films from the ITFS dealing with nature, animals and the environment will be screened at the open air.

More about NaturVision | Program & Tickets

Source: Press Release NaturVision

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

Pre Fixe with Animation Lounge: Animating Pumuckl

Together with the Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH (organizer of Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film) and the AMCRS, MFG organizes the Pre Fixe with Animation Lounge as a prelude to the monthly network meeting of the film industry (Jour Fixe), at which speakers from the animation film scene report on current projects using practical examples and provide insights into their work.

“Revealing the invisible: Animating Pumuckl“ will be the topic on December 11, 2023 at 18:00 CET.

The Pumuckl series brought the radio play character of the goblin to television for the first time in the 1980s. The magic of the series was created in particular by the interplay between the actor Gustl Bayrhammer and the wild, lovable cartoon character of Pumuckl. This adaptation of Ellis Kaut’s books is still very much present in reruns and in the nostalgic memories of the current generation of parents and grandparents. For the new edition of the series by director Marcus H. Rosenmüller, Ludwigsburg-based Studio Soi was commissioned to provide the new animations for the title character. With such a new edition, the question arises as to what should be changed in a contemporary realization. How close do the animators stay to the original? What technology and look could the new Pumuckl use to inspire children again?

Torben Meier, Studio Soi
Michael Hockey, Studio Soi

Michael Hockey, Animation Supervisor, and Torben Meier, co-founder of Studio Soi, will give an insight into these decisions and the working methods of the animation studio. The presentation will be held in English.

The event will take place at the Kulturzentrum Merlin, Augustenstraße 72, 70178 Stuttgart. Admission is free.

More information

Annegret Richter new Artistic Director of Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH!

Annegret Richter, Photo: Martin Jehnichen

Press Release, November 30, 2023

Complete Press Release and CV Annegret Richter

In June of this year, Heike Mozer took over the commercial management, and now the artistic position of the Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH (FMF) has also been filled: Annegret Richter, an experienced curator and festival organiser who has known and accompanied the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) for years, is taking over.

Heike Mozer and Annegret Richter would like to lead the ITFS into the future and to re-establish it as an annual highlight in the festival calendar for the German and international animated film industry. “We complement each other in different areas and have a very similar view of things when it comes to fundamental issues. It is important to us to create places for encounters, as well as to connect filmmakers, the industry, and the audience. With Annegret, I now have a creative partner by my side,” emphasises Heike Mozer. Together, the managing directors want to further develop the ITFS and intensify the synergies with FMX and the APDs. 

“It is a great opportunity and honour for me to work with Heike Mozer and the FMF team to develop the festival for the future,” says the experienced curator Annegret Richter, whose expertise is also highly valued at the ITFS. Her many years of networking in industry and networking projects make her an experienced, interested and passionate advocate for animated film. In her new role, she wants to work to strengthen animation: “Animation tells the important stories and issues of our time. In my opinion, animation for adults does not yet receive enough visibility. That’s why I think the festival also has a task for society as a whole to bring audiences into contact with the films and the filmmakers. Especially people who perhaps didn’t even know that animated film was relevant to them.“

Annegret Richter worked as festival director at the short film festival “Filmfest Dresden”, was head of the animated film section at DOK Leipzig and has been managing director of AG Animationsfilm since 2016. She also regularly curates film programmes and has been a member of festival juries and selection committees. She is also familiar with current developments and discourses through teaching assignments and her work as a lecturer.