In the “Best Visual Effects” category at the Deutscher Filmpreis 2026 (German Film Awards 2026), Michael Wortmann (RISE) and Frank Schlegel won the LOLA for “Momo.” Michael Wortmann is a graduate of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Animationsinstitut. Also nominated in this category were VFX supervisors Max Riess and Mona Mohr (PIXOMONDO) for “Woodwalkers 2,” as well as Tomer Eshed, Dennis Rettkowski, and Frank Kaminski for “Die Schule der magischen Tiere 4” – both productions funded by MFG Baden-Württemberg.
Michael Wortmann, Frank Schlegel (not there) · MOMO I BESTE VISUELLE EFFEKTE at DEUTSCHER FILMPREIS 2026 in Berlin. Copyright: Eventpress Fuhr
The film “In die Sonne schauen”(“Sound of Falling”) received the Golden Lola for Best Feature Film and won a total of ten Lolas. Numerous alumni of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg were involved in the production. The awards spanned nearly all creative and technical disciplines – from directing and screenwriting to cinematography, editing, production design, costume design, makeup, and sound design. Back in 2023, directors Mascha Schilinski and Louise Peter had already received the Thomas Strittmatter Award from MFG Baden-Württemberg for the screenplay of “In die Sonne schauen”.
Our Creators @ FMX, ITFS und APD on Thursday, May 7, 2026!
Our CREATORS are involved in numerous talks, presentations, screenings, meetings and events at FMX, ITFS and APD on Thursday, May 7 – Day 3 of the STUTTGART ANIMATED WEEK2026. Find out where and when, and discover many more highlights!
11:00-20:00 ITFS, Staatsgalerie Säulensaal GameZone Extended Hochschule der Medien, Animationsinstitut / FABW, Merz Akademie, Studio Seufz https://itfs.de/en/show/gamezone-extended-2/
9:00-12:15 APD, Landesmuseum Württemberg – Altes Schloss Co-Production and Financing Market, Tailored One-to-One Meetings “The Little Dormouse”, gretels gold https://animationproductiondays.de/programme/market/
10:00 FMX, König-Karl-Halle The Craft of Sound: Innovation and Workflows at Walt Disney Animation Studios Panel “Sound Design” curated by Nami Strack, Animationsinstitut / FABW https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2026/detail/event/35083
10:00 FMX, Raum Reutlingen From Prototype to Market: Building the Next Wave of Creative Startups and Founders in Baden-Württemberg Veljko Sekelj, Hochschule der Medien, Panel “LÄND-made” curated by Christian Müller, Animationsinstitut / FABW https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2026/detail/event/35068
10:30 ITFS, Festival Centre, Veronika-Saal Making of: German Children’s Series “Kito & Maja – The Dream Globe Tales” by Eliza Plocieniak-Alvarez & Carol Ratajczak, Alumni Animationsinstitut / FABW https://itfs.de/en/show/making-of-german-childrens-series-2/
12:30 FMX, Meidinger-Saal & VOD From Pixels to Waveforms: How AI Bridges the Gap Between Picture and Sound Panel “Sound Design” curated by Nami Strack, Animationsinstitut / FABW https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2026/detail/event/35085
17:00 FMX, Raum Reutlingen & VOD Adult Animation in a Kids’ Industry: Making Task Force Querlitz in Germany Arne Hain, Alumnus Animationsinstitut / FABW; Panel “Fresh Visions” curated by Christian Müller, Animationsinstitut / FABW https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2026/detail/event/35022
19:00 ITFS, Festival Centre, Eugen-Bolz-Saal AnixAwards German Animation Screenplay Awards (sponsored by AMCRS, Sola Media), Trickstar Business Award https://itfs.de/en/show/anixawards-2/
21:30 Die Note, Berliner Platz 1 Animation Lounge AMCRS
May 5, 2026
Our Creators @ FMX, ITFS and APD on Wednesday, May 6, 2026!
Day 2 of the STUTTGART ANIMATED WEEK 2026! Discover when and where our CREATORS are participating at FMX, ITFS, and APD on Wednesday, May 6! And further highlights!
11:00-20:00 ITFS, Staatsgalerie Säulensaal GameZone Extended Hochschule der Medien, Animationsinstitut / FABW, Merz Akademie, Studio Seufz https://itfs.de/en/show/gamezone-extended-6/
9:00-12:15 APD, Landesmuseum Württemberg – Altes Schloss Co-Production and Financing Market, Tailored One-to-One Meetings “The Little Dormouse” (gretels gold) https://animationproductiondays.de/programme/market/
10:00 ITFS, Robert-Bosch-Saal (vhs Stuttgart) Kitaprogramm: Komm, ich helfe dir! “3 Kapitäne” by Julia Ocker, Thomas Meyer-Hermann (producer, Studio Film Bilder); “Lenas Hof: Volles Nest” by Elena Walf, Thomas Meyer-Hermann (producer, Studio Film Bilder); “Kito, Maja und die Kugelkiste – Vom PUMPHUT und der Windstille” by Eliza Plocieniak-Alvarez, Alumni Animationsinstitut / FABW https://itfs.de/en/show/kitaprogramm-komm-ich-helfe-dir-2/
10:00 FMX, Turm Aalen & VOD CrossDot / Umbraven – A Dark Fantasy Short / On the Road to Caen / Blue Tent / Hang In There School Presentations, presented by Alexandra Joshi, Animationsinstitut / FABW and Mark Szilagyi, FABW https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2026/detail/event/35005
11:15 FMX, Turm Aalen & VOD DOPAMIN100 / The Tyrant / SCREWED / Vincent School Presentations, presented by Alexandra Joshi, Animationsinstitut / FABW and Mark Szilagyi, FABW https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2026/detail/event/35006
18:15 FMX, Turm Aalen & VOD The future of immersive excellence, innovation, and collaboration in THE CYBERLÄND. Maximilian Schmierer, b.ReX, Panel “LÄND-made” curated by Christian Müller, Animationsinstitut / FABW https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2026/detail/event/35036
19:00 ITFS, Staatsgalerie, Metzler Saal Open Stage Games BW, Keynote „Animation und Immersion in The Longing und Lucky Tower Ultimate“ Anselm Pyta, Studio Seufz, MFG https://itfs.de/en/show/open-stage-games-bw-2/
19:45 FMX, Metropol Cinema METROPOL CINEMA: Special Screening of Independence Day with Introduction by Roland Emmerich To attend the screening, pick up your ticket at the ticket counter on Level 0 starting on Wednesday, May 6 at 11:00! https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2026/detail/event/36445
Our Creators @ FMX, ITFS and APD on Tuesday, May 5, 2026!
Let’s dive into STUTTGART ANIMATED WEEK 2026! Animation, VFX and games fans, professionals, and students from around the world are coming together in Stuttgart to explore the latest trends, cutting-edge technologies, stunning projects, and the most exciting stories. With FMX – Film & Media Exchange (On Site: May 5-7, Online & On Campus: May 8, On Demand: May 9 – June 9), the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (May 5-10) and the Animation Production Days (May 5-7), there’s a lot to look forward to!
FMX, Photo: Dominique Brewing
Alongside numerous highlights, of course our CREATORS are on board as well! Let’s take a look at how they’re contributing during these inspiring days: the talks, presentations, and workshops they’re leading, where you can meet and chat with them in person, what they’ve curated – and which of their projects you can see on site or even try out for yourself. You can find more information via the links. We’re kicking things off on Tuesday, May 5, 2026!
9:00-12:15 APD, Landesmuseum Württemberg – Altes Schloss Co-Production and Financing Market, Tailored One-to-One Meetings gretels gold “The Little Dormouse” https://animationproductiondays.de/programme/market/
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!
A Sparrow’s Song, Credits: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
The Visual Effects Society has announced the nominations for the 24th VES Awards. The prestigious annual celebration recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation worldwide and the VFX supervisors, VFX producers and hands-on artists who bring this work to life. Also in the running are the visual effects from projects by AMCRS members.
In the category OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT, “A Sparrow’s Song” has made it onto the list of nominees. The project was created by Tobias Eckerlin, Vincent Maurer, Elias Weber, and Lilli-Luisa Heckmann (and many more) as a diploma project at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Animationsinstitut. The film has already won a Student Academy Award in Gold, is currently shortlisted for the 2026 Academy Awards, and was recently nominated for the 2026 Annie Awards.
RISE FX can celebrate a nomination in the category OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE for “The Lost Bus” – Feather River Canyon by the Pulga Bridge – (nominated team: David Schulz, Mareike Loges, Björn Markgraf, and Philipp Hafellner).
Congratulations to everyone involved! Fingers crossed for the VES Awards ceremony on February 25, 2026, at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
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“:
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
May 6, 2025
Our Creators @ FMX, ITFS and APD on Wednesday, May 7, 2025!
Day 2 of the STUTTGART ANIMATED WEEK 2025! Discover when and where our CREATORS are participating at FMX, ITFS, and APD on Wednesday, May 7!
Animation Production Days 2024, 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/
14:30 FMX, Bertha-Benz-Saal & VOD The Rise of African Animation, VFX and Content Development – How Cultural Differences are fueling Industry Growth Panel “Managing Change” curated by Imke Fehrmann, RISE | Visual Effects Studios https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2025/list?t=1810
18:15 FMX, Bertha-Benz-Saal & VOD Story Telling for War Children: Extremist and counter-Extremist Narratives Panel “Managing Change” curated by Imke Fehrmann, RISE | Visual Effects Studios https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2025/list?t=1810
18:15 FMX, Turm Aalen & VOD School Presentations: Flamin‘ Hot / Beyond Boundaries / The Goo / Lonely / Cyclus / FATIMA Mariana Mendes dos Santos, Alex Ferstl, Merz Akademie (Panel “School Presentations” presented by Alexandra Joshi, Animationsinstitut / FABW, Mark Szilagyi, FABW) https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2025/detail/event/31835
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-4
21:30 Die Note, Berliner Platz 1 Animation Lounge by AMCRS
