May 25, 2025

Annecy 2025

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.

Film still from “Stitch Head”. © Gringo Films

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. M ore 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 inf o | 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

At the German Films booth at MIFA, representatives of our member organizations will be present on site. This year’s German Reception will take place on Tuesday, June 10 (by invitation only) – a joint event organized by German Films, Animation Germany, AG Kurzfilm – Bundesverband Deutscher Kurzfilm, AG Animationsfilm, Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart, Animation Production Days, FMX, Animationsinstitut of the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg and ITFS

May 9, 2025

The Winners of the AniX Awards at ITFS 2025!

The first award winners of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) 2025 have been chosen: In a joint awards ceremony – the AniX Awards – the German Animation Screenplay Award and the Trickstar Business Award were presented on the evening of May 8, 2025 at the Festival Centre in the Haus der Katholischen Kirche.

Award winners and nominees, juries, and sponsors AniX Award ITFS 2025, Photo: Reiner Pfisterer

The prize for the best German screenplay for an animated feature film in the amount of € 2,500 sponsored by the Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart (AMCRS), goes to “Fräulein Dezember und die Mondschein-Bande“ (“Miss December and the Moon Clan”) by Lisa Fechner (Producer: Peter Keydel, Production: Mistral Filmstudio GmbH)

From the jury statement: Miss December is a loving, exciting, and funny Mary Poppins story, paired with magic and scary moments. Based on an Italian children’s book by Antonia Murgo, Lisa Fechner succeeds in crafting the dialogues in a fresh yet profound way. The plot is exciting, humorous, quirky, and has the necessary nostalgic feel, reminiscent of Charles Dickens’ stories and quirky families à la Wednesday and Hotel Transylvania.

The Award for the Screenplay with the Greatest International Market Potential is endowed with €2,500, sponsored by SOLA MEDIA – and the winner is Nessie Junior (Authors: Matthias Drescher, Jens Opatz, Producer: Matthias Drescher, Production: FFL – Film und Fernsehlabor Ludwigsburg GmbH & Co. KG)

From the jury statement: The story of the young sea monster Fin, who teams up with 13-year-old Kellina to uncover long-buried secrets about his origins, impresses with emotional depth, narrative strength, and a compelling sense of storytelling. […] Nessie Junior addresses universal themes such as friendship, identity, family, and the search for belonging – topics that resonate across cultures and are relevant to audiences worldwide. The legendary figure of Nessie is internationally recognized and sparks curiosity and empathy across generations, especially among family viewers. […] With Nessie Junior, Jens Opatz and Matthias Drescher have crafted a heartfelt, original, and internationally accessible story with the potential to become a beloved favorite among audiences worldwide.

The jury consisted of Solveig Langeland (Founder and Managing Director, Sola Media GmbH, Stuttgart), Jørn Precht (Author, Screenwriter, Professor for Storytelling, Hochschule der Medien, Stuttgart), Ron Segal (Author, Screenwriter, Berlin), Holger Weiss (CEO & Founder, Executive Producer, M.A.R.K. 13 Group, Stuttgart) und Silke Wilfinger (Founder & Owner, SILKWAYFILMS, Munich).

Matthias Drescher, Annegret Richter (ITFS), Solveig Langeland (Sola Media), Jens Opatz

Stefanie Larson (AMCRS), Winner Peter Keydel

Matthias Drescher, Jens Opatz, Solveig Langeland (Sola Media), Silke Wilfinger (Silkway Films), Peter Keydel, Holger Weiss (M.A.R.K. 13), Jørn Precht (Hochschule der Medien), Ron Segal

The Trickstar Business Award, the prize for the best innovative and forward-looking business model in the animation sector in the amount of € 7,500 sponsored by Verband Region Stuttgart, goes to SYNK by ThePack (CEO: Jan Hameeuw) – a real-time content generator and workflow management system that creates synergies and enables a huge increase in the efficiency of 3-D productions.

Congratulations to all the award winners!

November 18, 2024

Calls for Entries ITFS – German Animation Screenplay Award and Animated Games Award Germany

The 32nd Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) will take place from May 6 to 11, 2025. It focuses on artistic animated films and the promotion of young talent. In addition to the short and feature film competitions (submission deadlines: short film competitions – November 15, 2024; feature film competition – January 15, 2024), additional categories are now open for submissions: the German Animation Screenplay Award, the Animated Games Award Germany, and the Work in Progress section.

The German Animation Screenplay Award recognises outstanding screenplays for feature-length animated films. The goal of the competition is to honor the central role of professional screenwriters in the creation of outstanding films and to encourage the development of exceptional stories for animated films.

The Award for the Best Screenplay for a Feature-Length Animated Film comes with €2,500, sponsored by the Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart (AMCRS).

The Award for the Screenplay with the Greatest International Market Potential is endowed with €2,500, sponsored by our CREATORS from SOLA MEDIA.

For the best screenplay award submissions are possible in German and English, for the market potential award submissions are only possible in English. Submission Deadline: February 1, 2025 | Regulations | Submit here

Winner German Animation Screenplay Award for a Feature-Length Animated Film at ITFS 2024: Das Neinhorn, Photo: Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart, Reiner Pfisterer

Winner Animated Games Award Germany at ITFS 2024: Closer the Distance, Photo: Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart, Reiner Pfisterer

The Animated Games Award Germany is endowed with €5,000 and is sponsored by M FG Baden-Württemberg. It targets developers of high-quality video games who have their primary or secondary residence in Germany.

Eligible for submission are completed games for commercially available platforms that were released after January 1, 2024. The top five games will be nominated for the Ga meZone and showcased to the public during the event.
Submission Deadline: February 1, 2025 | Regulations | Submit here

The Work in Progress section provides a platform for animation projects in the concept, development, or production stages. Producers and directors have the opportunity to present their current projects in film, TV, web, games, and immersive media to an international professional audience.

Each presentation lasts approximately 20 minutes and includes initial visual insights, trailers, and a follow-up Q&A session. The audience gains exclusive behind-the-scenes access and can connect directly with the creative teams behind the projects. Submission Deadline: February 15, 2025 | Submit here

April 26, 2024

The Winners of the AniX Awards at ITFS 2024

The first award winners of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) 2024 have been chosen: In a joint awards ceremony – the AniX Awards – the German Animation Screenplay Award, the Trickstar Business Award, and the ASIFA Prize were presented on the evening of April 25, 2024 at the Festival Centre in the Haus der Katholischen Kirche.

Marcus Sauermann, Stefanie Larson (AMCRS), Silke Wilfinger (jury member), Photo: ITFS

on the left: Gisela Schäfer (gretels gold), Sunna Isenberg, Photo: AMCRS

The prize for the best German screenplay for an animated feature film in the amount of € 2,500 sponsored by the Animation Media Creators Region Stuttgart (AMCRS), goes to:

Das NEINhorn, Authors: Marc-Uwe Kling, Marcus Sauermann), Producer: Nicole Kellerhals, Production: X Filme Creative Pool

A Special Mention goes to

Die Olchis – Dino-Alarm! (The Ogglies – Rexy Alarm!), Author: Toby Genkel, Producer: Sunna Isenberg, Production: Gisela Schäfer, gretels gold GmbH

We are delighted that gretels gold – one of our CREATORS – is among the honored!

The prize for the German screenplay with the greatest international market potential in the amount of € 1,500 sponsored by Pink Parrot Media goes to:

Out of Frame, Authors: Keiron Self, Giles New, Producers: Emely Christians, Sonja Matthes, Production: Ulysses Film Production

The jury consisted of: Peter Keydel (Producer, Mago Production, Barcelona/Düsseldorf), Nicole Kellerhals (Producer, Dramaturge, Berlin), Marco Kreuzer (Dramaturge/Script Consultant, member of the board of VeDRA – Verband für Film- und Fernsehdramaturgie e.V.), Tania Pinto de Cunha (Vice-President, Partner, Head of International Sales & Acquisitions, Pink Parrot Media, Madrid), Holger Weiss (CEO & Founder, Executive Producer, M.A.R.K. 13 Group, Stuttgart) und Silke Wilfinger (Founder & Owner, SILKWAYFILMS, Munich).

The Trickstar Business Award, the prize for the best innovative and forward-looking business model in the animation sector in the amount of € 7,500 sponsored by Verband Region Stuttgart, goes to Black Goblin, Ana Betancourt (CEO), United Kingdom, a Special Mention to Zeuniks, David Aguirre Hoffmann (Art Director & Illustrator), Germany.

Furthermore, the ASIFA Prize was awarded to the Czech director and animator Michaela Pavlátová.

We congratulate all the winners!

November 28, 2022

Call for Entries for German Animation Screenplay Award at ITFS 2023!

Photo: Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film

The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS, April 25-30, 2023) calls for entries for the German Animation Screenplay Award for the best screenplay for a feature-length animated film not yet realised. And we, the AMCRS, are the proud sponsor of the prize money of 2,500 €!

2022, the award for the best screenplay went to Dino Mite / Minus Drei und die verlorene Stadt (by Armin Prediger, Andreas Völlinger, production: our HEROES Holger Weiss and Dominique Schuchmann, M.A.R.K.13 – COM, Stuttgart, and Björn Magsig and Sandra Schießl, TRIKK 17, Hamburg).

In addition, the ITFS will award the prize for the screenplay with the greatest international market potential. The prize is endowed with 1,500 € and donated by Pink Parrot.

The awards aim to promote excellent screenplays for German animated feature film projects in German and English language as well as promising authors, and to highlight the importance of professional screenwriting.

The closing date for both awards is February 1, 2023.

Application and Reglement (in German)