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SWR TV documentary about current animation projects involving our Creators

Fritzi & Sophie – A Boundless Friendship

The German TV documentary “Frame by Frame – Wie Trickfilmer ticken” by SWR provides insights into the creation of the animated series “Fritzi & Sophie – A Boundless Friendship” and the animated feature film “The Light of Aisha”.

“Fritzi & Sophie” is a co-production of Balance Film Dresden, Trickstudio Lutterbeck Cologne and our CREATORS from Studio Filmbilder in Stuttgart and the first animation series to be produced entirely in Germany. Director and producer Thomas Meyer-Hermann (Studio Filmbilder), director and producer Ralf Kukula (Balance Film) and others involved in the production process will talk about the new technique in animated film of using motion capture in combination with CGI.

Exciting insights into the series and its creation will also be available in a few weeks at the Stuttgart Animated Week at FMX and ITFS. It will also celebrate its world premiere at ITFS (episodes 1-4, episodes 5-8).

Shadi Adib, director of the feature film “The Light of Aisha” and alumna of Animationsinstitut, talks about the making of the international co-production, whose screenplay by Xavier Romero and Llorenç Español won the German Animation Screenplay Award at ITFS 2019 and which is due to be released in cinemas in the fall. Further insights are provided by Kate Forsdick and Holger Tesch from The M.A.R.K. 13 Group in Stuttgart and Peter Keydel from Mago Production in Barcelona.

Take a look!

Directly to feature in the ARD media library, it is available until April 1, 2025.

Recommended reading: “From the drawing board to the cinema: what’s moving the animation industry” on SWR Kultur

Thomas Strittmatter Award 2024

TSP Winner 2024 Schiar Simo („Himmelfahrt“) (right) and Maria Köpf (Jury), Oskar Sulowski (Jury), Anne Zohra Berrached (Jury), MFG Managing Director Carl Bergengruen, State Secretary of the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg Arne Braun © AEDT, Stefan Krempl

Screenwriter Schiar Simo is the winner of the 2024 Thomas Strittmatter Prize, endowed with 20,000 euros by MFG Filmförderung, for his screenplay for the black humor thriller “Himmelfahrt“. In the story, a Syrian man who is considered a model migrant and lives as a baker in Germany turns out to be a terrorist ‘sleeper’ who unexpectedly has to choose between his new home and his sacred mission.

The Thomas Strittmatter Prize was presented by Arne Braun, State Secretary of the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg, and MFG Managing Director Carl Bergengruen at a festive reception on the fringes of the 74. Berlinale at the Baden-Württemberg State Representation. A number of current MFG-funded productions were also presented, in particular the Berlinale films “Treasure” by director Julia von Heinz, the German-Tanzanian documentary “The Empty Tomb” by directors Cece Mlay and Agnes Lisa Wegner and the youth drama “Elbow” by Aslı Özarslan.

In addition to Baden-Württemberg’s Minister President Winfried Kretschmann and personalities and filmmakers from numerous fields, representatives of the AMCRS and their HEROES were also guests, including the team of the animated film “Giants of La Mancha” (including Dominique Schuchmann and Wolfgang Kerber (M.A.R.K. 13) as well as Benjamin Ey (Studio 100) and one of the voice actors, Julian Janssen (‘Checker’ team)), Jan Pinkava (Animationsinsitut), Lilian Klages (Eagle Eye Filmproduktion), Kate Forsdick (M.A.R.K. 13), Heiko Burkardsmaier (Accenture Song Content Germany GmbH), Sebastian Runschke (SERU Animation), Robert Gehring (MFG), AMCRS manager Stefanie Larson and many more.

Photo: Julia Merkel, Bildschön
Photo: Julia Merkel, Bildschön
Photo: AEDT, Stefan Krempl
Photo: Julia Merkel, Bildschön

Sources: MFG Baden-Württemberg
https://www.mfg.de/aktuelles/details/4075-thomas-strittmatter-preis-2024-geht-an-autor-schiar-simo-fuer-sein-drehbuch-zur-schwarzen-komoedie-himmelfahrt/
https://www.mfg.de/newsdetail/4041-drei-nominierungen-fuer-den-thomas-strittmatter-preis-2024-fuer-ein-herausragendes-drehbuch/

Grimme Award Nominations for Projects involving AMCRS HEROES!

Still from “The Ogglies – Welcome to Smelliville” | Image: WunderWerk

Two projects, involving animation studios from AMCRS in their production, have been nominated for a Grimme Award 2024! Congratulations!

Nominated in the Children & Youth category is the series „Neue Geschichten vom Pumuckl“ (NEUESUPER for RTL+/RTL). The beloved kobold was animated by studio soi, based on the illustrations from the children’s books by Ellis Kaut.

Additionally, nominated for a Grimme Award in the Children & Youth category is the animated film “The Ogglies – Welcome to Smelliville” (WunderWerk for ZDF/KiKA), which was created with the collaboration of M.A.R.K. 13.

Pumuckl, Screenshot Official Teaser https://youtu.be/7Ofee7jwc1M

Complete list of Grimme Award Nominations 2024

Sources: MFG Baden-WürttembergGrimme Award

M.A.R.K. 13’s Dominique Schuchmann in short film series Digithoughts

In the short film series Digithoughts, the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation (Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart) regularly presents people from the creative and digital industries in the Stuttgart Region who provide insights into their thoughts on digitization.

Guest of the latest episode is Dominique Schuchmann, founder and CEO of our HEROES from The M.A.R.K.13™-Group.

Check it out!

M.A.R.K. 13’s Hitchhikers Guide to Animation, VFX, Motion Graphics and beyond. at Innenstadtkinos Stuttgart

Dominique Schuchmann, Owner and Executive Producer The M.A.R.K.13-Group, will give an insight behind the scenes of the animation film industry in a presentation at the Innenstadtkinos Stuttgart (EM2, Königstr. 22 / Ecke Bolzstr. 4). on October 26, 2023, 18:30 CET.

Animation, cartoons, CGI – terms related to animated motion pictures that you may have heard before but can’t quite place. In the Stuttgart region, there are several companies that operate globally in these fields and are part of many film productions that we regularly experience in theaters, advertisements, or promotional films. Dominique Schuchmann takes the audience on a cinematic journey into the world of animated motion picture production, providing insight into what each term means, showcasing various applications, and illustrating their implementation through examples. It’s a glimpse behind the scenes of what’s happening in the world of film in the Stuttgart region.It’s going to be colorful, vibrant, and fun.

In cooperation with the Katholisches Bildungswerk Stuttgart, Evang. Bildungszentrum Hospitalhof Stuttgart

More information & tickets

“Cursed Children” successfully pitched at Cartoon Movie 2023!

Photo: Cartoon Movie 2023

At Cartoon Movie in Bordeaux, Matisse Gonzales Jordán (Director and Author) and Stefan Michel (Producer Studio Seufz) pitched the 2D animated feature film project “Cursed Children” (“Condenaditos“) – very successfully with a lot of applause in between! Congratulations!

Besides Studio Seufz also M.A.R.K. 13, Sola Media and for the AMCRS Stefanie Larson were present at the pitch! More about the project

Photo: Cartoon Movie 2023
Photo: Cartoon Movie 2023

Pipeline TD wanted at M.A.R.K. 13!

Our HEROES at The M.A.R.K. 13 Group are looking for a full-time Pipeline TD (m/f/d) in Stuttgart or remote!

The Pipeline TD is responsible for developing and maintaining software tools, support for artists, and general troubleshooting within the studio’s full-CG pipeline. The main focus is on ensuring the efficiency of artists and eliminating potential sources of error.

More about the job and the application

Call for Applications Crazy Horse Session – 48h Animation Jam at ITFS 2023

ITFS 2023

The 30th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS, April 25-30, 2023) is calling all filmmakers to apply to the online live animation competition Crazy Horse Session – 48h Animation Jam! Deadline for applications is March 1, 2023, and the Crazy Horse Session will be held in cooperation with our HEROES from M.A.R.K.13.

Applications are open to teams of two who are either animation students from international film and art schools or freelance animators and animation producers, and also not older than 30 years. Within 48 hours, up to six teams will develop a short animated film (30 seconds to a maximum of 2 minutes) around the ITFS mascot Trixi during the festival. The competition will take place online between Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 12 noon and Friday, April 28, 2023 at 12 noon.

A jury selected by the festival management will choose the winning film. The winning team will be appointed to the ITFS 2024 48h Jam jury and will receive an invitation to next year’s festival.

Application Form & Regulations

Winner film ITFS 2022