In the category “Best Visual Effects,” VFX supervisors Max Riess and Mona Mohr from PIXOMONDOare nominated for “Woodwalkers 2.” Max Riess will present “How to Turn Actors into Animals: The VFX Behind Woodwalkers S2” at FMX on May 5, 2026.
Also nominated in this category are Michael Wortmann from RISEand Frank Schlegel for “Momo.” Michael Wortmann is a graduate of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Animationsinstitut.
“Woodwalkers 2,” as well as the third nominee in the “Best Visual Effects” category, “Die Schule der magischen Tiere 4,” received funding from MFG.
The Lola winners will be announced on May 29, 2026, at the Palais am Funkturm in Berlin. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for all the nominees!
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.”
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.
Filmschau Baden-Württemberg (December 3 to 7, 2025)
The 31. Filmschau Baden-Württembergwill 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.
Animationsinstitutof 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)
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)
MFG Baden-Württembergand Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Filmpresent the Baden-Württembergpremiere of “Alles voller Monster“ (“Stitch Head”), as ITFS Animation Special on Saturday, October 18, 15:00 CET, in the EM 1 (Innenstadtkinos Stuttgart). Following the screening, there will be a discussion with director and screenwriter Steve Hudson, producer Sonja Ewers and further guests.
Stitch Head
The ITFS is closely connected with the development of “Alles voller Monster”. At the ITFS 2020, the screenplay received the German Animation Screenplay Award – the award for the best screenplay for a feature film, sponsored by AMCRS. At the ITFS 2025 at the beginning of May, director Steve Hudson presented a making-of – from illustrated children’s book to fully rendered animated feature.
Our CREATORS from LAVAlabs and PIXOMONDO were also involved in the creative process. The production was carried out by Gringo Films (Sonja Ewers), Fabrique d’Images, Senator Film Produktion, Traumhaus Studios, Mia Wallace Productions, and Senator Film Köln.
Synopsis: In a castle, a mad professor brings monstrous creatures (almost) to life… and promptly forgets about them. Who will take care of the castle and the monsters, who will teach them NOT to be monstrous? Stitch Head – the professor’s very first creation. He does all the work until one day the “Travelling Fair of Unnatural Wonders” run by the shady circus director Fulbert Freakfinder arrives in town. In desperate need of a new attractions, he promises Stitch Head fame, fortune – and love.
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.
Accenture Song VFX and Pixomondo were honored at the First Night of the 2025 Creative Arts Emmy Awards! They received an Emmy Award in the category “Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Single Episode” for their work on “Bliss”, an episode of the hit U.S. crime drama “The Penguin“, streaming on HBO Max.
Congratulations to all team members at Accenture Song VFX and Pixomondo, as well as everyone else involved in this achievement!
Copyright: Accenture Song VFX Germany
Copyright: Accenture Song VFX Germany
The Emmys are the most prestigious awards recognizing achievements in the American television and streaming industry, with significant international impact. The ceremony, hosted by the Television Academy on the evening of September 6, 2025, was the first of two Creative Arts Emmy® Awards events honoring outstanding artistic and technical accomplishments in television. This event also marked the opening of the 77th Emmy Awards.
MFG Baden-Württemberg supported the involvement of both companies in “The Penguin” through a special Line Producer funding, which benefits studios and companies in Baden-Württemberg whose work focuses on digital post-production, visual effects (VFX), and animation.
Carl Bergengruen, Managing Director of MFG, commented on the Emmy success: “This Emmy once again proves that the two Stuttgart-based production companies are among the world’s leaders in their field. It is a tremendous achievement for everyone involved and a testament to the targeted support provided by MFG, which has helped establish Baden-Württemberg as a leading hub for VFX and animation.”
PIXOMONDO, Accenture Song VFX, and RISE FX are nominated for the prestigious EMMYs for their work on the series “The Penguin”, “Dune: Prophecy”, “House of the Dragon”, and “The Last of Us”!
Category “Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Season Or A Movie“:
“Dune: Prophecy“ (HBO | Max) – Visual Effects Supervisor Accenture Song VFX Germany: Peter Lames
“House Of The Dragon“ (HBO | Max) – Visual Effects Supervisor PIXOMONDO: Sven Martin | Associate Visual Effects Supervisor PIXOMONDO: Fausto Tejeda
“The Last Of Us“ (HBO | Max) – Visual Effects Supervisor, RISE FX: Andreas Giesen
Category “Outstanding Special Visual Effects In A Single Episode“:
From June 8 to 14, 2025, this year’s Annecy Festival will take place. As part of the festival, the MIFA animation film market will be held from June 10 to 13. Numerous projects by filmmakers from our network will be featured.
In the competition category “TV Films,” “Lena’s Farm” is represented with the episode “Volles Nest” by Elena Walf, produced by Thomas Meyer-Hermann (Studio Film Bilder). More info
The Animationsinstitut of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg is also represented: in the “Graduation Films” category, “Detlev” by Ferdinand Ehrhardt (director and producer) and Saskia Stirn (producer), with distribution by Fabian Driehorst, will be screened. More info Selected for the “VR Works” category is “lichtung” by Aria Wolf and Janina Zlotos (directors), produced by Cyril Fischer and Christoph Mohr. More info
The animated feature film “Stitch Head” by screenwriter and director Steve Hudson will be shown in the “Annecy Presents” section and will celebrate its world premiere! At ITFS 2020, the screenplay received the AMCRS-sponsored award for Best German-language Screenplay for an Animated Feature Film. The film was supported by MFG and involved the studios LAVAlabs Moving Images and PIXOMONDO in its production. More info | News article by MFG
The talent panel “Shape Your Future: Moving European Animation Forward” will present the innovation network PANEURAMA, with Christian Müller from the Animationinstitut joining the discussion. More info
11:00-17:00 ITFS, Staatsgalerie, Konrad-Adenauer-Str. 30-32, GameZone Hochschule der Medien, Animationsinstitut / FABW, Merz Akademie https://itfs.de/en/show/gamezone-8/
10:00 FMX, Turm Aalen How to start and succeed as a Creator in the Creative Industries Panel “Fresh Visions” curated by Christian Müller, Animationsinstitut / FABW https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2025/list?t=1829
10:30 ITFS, Festival Centre, Veronika-Saal Making of: The Light of Aisha Shadi Adib (Animationsinstitut / FABW graduate), Holger Weiss, Dominique Schuchmann (The M.A.R.K.13™ – Group) https://itfs.de/en/show/making-of-the-light-of-aisha-2/
14:30 FMX, Raum Reutlingen WHY SO SERIOUS? Fun, Action and Humor in Educational Gaming. Jonas Kirchner, Christoph Rasulis, Pixelcloud (Panel “LÄND-made” curated by Christian Müller, Animationsinstitut / FABW) https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2025/detail/event/32901
15:45 FMX, Raum Reutlingen DARK SCIENCE – realtime renderings instead of reenactment Manuel Hummer, Alina Fromm, Alex Schuster, Recom Film (Panel “LÄND-made” curated by Christian Müller, Animationsinstitut / FABW) https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2025/detail/event/32902
17:00 FMX, Bertha-Benz-Saal Filming in the Metaverse: Real Time Distributed Virtual Production Panel “Tech Talks” curated by Volker Helzle, Animationsinstitut / FABW https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2025/list?t=1818
18:15 FMX, Bertha-Benz-Saal & VOD Building a State-of-the-Art Multifunctional VFX Studio for Advanced Educational and Training Purposes “Tech Talks” curated by Volker Helzle, Animationsinstitut / FABW https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2025/list?t=1818
18:00 ITFS, White Noise, Eberhardtstr. 35 Exhibition: It’s Just a Whole Exhibition by Animationsinstitut / FABW graduate Bianca Scali / Winner ITFS 2024 “Student Competition“ https://itfs.de/en/show/exhibition-its-just-a-whole-8/
20:00 FMX/ITFS, Gloria 2 ITFS/FMX Joint Screening of FLOW To attend the screening, pick up your ticket at the ticket counter on Haus der Wirtschaft / Level 0 starting on Wednesday, May 7 at 15:00! https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2025/detail/event/32894
20:30 Kulturwerk, Ostendstr. 106 A Night of Shame Studio Seufz, Animationsinstitut / FABW https://www.nightofshame.com/
Our Creators @ FMX, ITFS and APD on Thursday, May 8, 2025!
Our CREATORS are involved in numerous talks, presentations, screenings, meetings and events at FMX, ITFS and APD on Thursday, May 8 – Day 3 of the STUTTGART ANIMATED WEEK2025. Find out where and when!
ITFS, Photo: Reiner Pfisterer
9:00-12:15 APD, Landesmuseum Württemberg – Altes Schloss, Schillerplatz 6 Co-Production and Financing Market (pre-arranged one-to-one meetings) 3 CAPTAINS (Studio FILM BILDER), 48ers (The M.A.R.K.13™ – Group), A Trip with a Drip (gretels gold) https://animationproductiondays.de/projects-2025/
19:00 ITFS, Haus der Katholischen Kirche, Königstr. 7 German Animation Screenplay Award at AniX Awards Stefanie Larson, AMCRS (Sponsor of German Animation Screenplay Award), FFL Film und Fernsehlabor Ludwigsburg https://itfs.de/en/show/anix-awards-2/
18:00 ITFS, White Noise, Eberhardtstr. 35 Exhibition: It’s Just a Whole Exhibition by Animationsinstitut / FABW graduate Bianca Scali / Winner ITFS 2024 “Student Competition“ https://itfs.de/en/show/exhibition-its-just-a-whole-6/
19:00 FMX, In front of Haus der Wirtschaft Get-Together sponsored by One of Us
19:00 RISE, Schloßstr. 70 Party RISE | Visual Effects Studios
