Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 16, 2015. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The female alumni of the Institute of Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Postproduction at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg are providing new accents in the animation business, which was long dominated by men. At the Stuttgart animation hub in particular, female graduates are now increasingly realizing self-initiated projects and celebrating promising successes with them.
Kellerkind and Zebra
Animation filmmaker Julia Ocker already attracted attention with her graduation film Kellerkind (2012). Her dark experimental film about a mother who hides her child impressed at national and international festivals and won the First Steps Award 2012, among others. After graduating, Ocker made the funny animated film Zebra for the successful SWR children’s magazine “Ich kenne ein Tier”; it differs strongly from the serious subject matter of her graduation film and thus demonstrates Ocker’s versatility as a filmmaker.
Zebra received awards at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival 2014, among others. At the beginning of March this year, the children’s jury of the 25th Bamberg Short Film Days chose the short as “Best Children’s Film”. Julia Ocker is currently developing the series Animanimals for Stuttgart studio Film Bilder from the basic idea of Zebra.
Lebensader and Schmusedecke
Angela Steffen, who completed her studies at the Animationsinstitut in 2009 with the graduation film “Lebensader”, has also since established herself as an animation filmmaker in Stuttgart. “Lebensader” is a 2D animated adventure in which a child discovers fascinating worlds that reveal themselves to her in a leaf.
“Lebensader” received awards at the Festival d’Animation in Annecy and the Fargo Film Festival in 2010, among others. Following her studies, Angela Steffen worked for Studio Film Bilder on the animated series “Meine Schmusedecke” in 2013.
Rabenjunge and Latte Igel
Finally, Andrea Deppert has also impressed both specialist juries and audiences as an animation filmmaker since her graduation film “Rabenjunge” (2011). In “Rabenjunge”, Deppert creatively combines puppetry and animation by implementing handmade marionettes in a computer-generated 3D world.
The short film screened in 2012, among other places, in the “Next Generation Short Tiger” program in Cannes and in the “Generation” section at the Berlinale. Deppert is currently working on a film adaptation of “Latte Igel und der Wasserstein”, a classic of children’s literature (author: Sebastian Lybeck, 1958). The project is currently in the financing phase and is being produced by Stuttgart-based Eagle Eye Filmproduktion together with the international studios Grid in Belgium, Parka Pictures in Denmark and Woodblock.
At FMX 2014, we were able to interview another female animation hopeful from the Animationsinstitut about her project “Perfect Woman”, Lea Schönfelder. You can find the interview in DP issue 05 : 2014.
Perfect Woman Trailer 2014 from UCLA Game Lab on Vimeo.
Her adult game “Ute” is also a fun way to pass the time in between. If “Shades of Grey” is also too silly for you, with too much love story.
This year, FMX will also address the subject of “Women in Visual Arts” in a discussion panel, Friday at 12:00 in the König Karl Hall.
