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Archive notice: This historical article was originally published in March 2020. Dates, statements and links are preserved from the original.
FMX 2020 will focus on women in the fields of VFX and animation – some of them are presented below. The list of speakers forFMX 2020 on the FMX website is currently filling up. Discounted early bird tickets for FMX 2020 are available in the ticket shop until 13 March 2020. The official app will be available for iOS and Android from 1 April 2020. In addition, the second trailer for Mulm is now online.
Women in the VFX and animation community
There are more and more women setting important impulses in the digital creative industry. Read more about some of the women who are helping to make FMX such an outstanding event – some of whom have been doing so for many years:
Jody Madden
Jody Madden, Chief Executive Officer at Foundry, a Main Partner of FMX 2020, has been instrumental in shaping the company’s growth since joining in 2013. Prior to Foundry, Madden spent more than a decade in technology management and leadership roles at Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm and Digital Domain studios after graduating from Stanford University.
“In its 25th anniversary year, FMX is more important than ever because it’s where education and industry come together to inspire each other. I believe this connection is crucial to continue to solve problems and enable the artists who come after us to bring incredible ideas to life and ensure that together we can all realise our visions of the future.”
Shelley Page
At FMX 2020, Shelley Page, Animation Talent Consultant at Locksmith Animation in London, will curate the N.E.W.S. track, which invites remarkable filmmakers and studio founders from India, South Africa, Europe and the USA to share the paths of their creativity and their collaborations with studios and producers far from their country of origin. Shelley Page will also present a selection of her favourite short films from the last 20 editions of her Eye Candy Show as The Best of the Eye Candy Show.
“Almost 20 years ago, FMX invited me to present my very first Eye Candy Show – which gave me a wonderful opportunity to showcase the amazing talent of some very young European graduates. Since then, many of these young filmmakers have gone on to brilliant careers and have become valued friends and colleagues. I hope and expect that in the future I will discover many more exceptional young artists from the fields of animation, directing, VFX, game design, VR and others, and if I am very lucky, I will be able to work with them one day!”
Stefanie Larson
Stefanie Larson, Cluster Manager of the Animation Media Cluster Region Stuttgart (AMCRS), will host a panel on the perspective of women in the industry. Invited are Matisse Gonzalez Jordán (animator, illustrator and director, Gravedad, works closely with Studio Seufz) and Angela Steffen (Studio Film Bilder, director and animator, Patchwork Pals), who both studied at the Animation Institute of the Filmakademie, as well as Kate Forsdick (M.A.R.K. 13, Line Producer, Vic the Viking: The Magic Sword, Production Manager, Maya the Bee 2: The Honey Games), Claudia Marvisi (Pixomondo, Texture Lead and Texture Artist, Midway, The Mandalorian) and Julia Smola (VFX Producer/Scanline VFX, Charlie’s Angels, X-Men: Dark Phoenix). They will present their work and discuss what influences them, what they would wish for themselves and other women in their professional lives and what the FMX theme Imagine Tomorrow means to them.
“We have to trust that an idea needs space, but also time to unfold. Although we have many technical possibilities available to us today and tomorrow, it is important not to rush or even replace such an important process.”
Shoko Hara
Shoko Hara works as a freelance motion designer and animation director for commercials and music videos. At FMX 2020, she will present Just A Guy, an animated documentary short film about love. Three women give insights into their relationship with Richard Ramirez, a serial killer and rapist, whom they contacted after his conviction in the 1980s. Shoko Hara studied motion design at the Baden-Wuerttemberg Film Academy. Her diploma thesis, the animated short film What They Believe, was awarded Best Student Film at Animafest Zagreb 2016.
“Many people are afraid of the future for political, economic and social reasons. That’s why it’s important to actively influence the future and improve it. This means being aware of the past and the present and even being inspired by traditions. Being able to combine all of this with your own vision is a key skill for developing something new and relevant. As an animation director, you have a great opportunity to broaden society’s view and promote new opinions and discussions. It’s about courage and communication.”
Social Impact
The Women in Animation Association (WIA) will present a three-part track from its Women in Animation World Summit series. The track will kick off with a presentation by Julie Ann Crommett (WIA Chair of Inclusion and Vice President Multi-Cultural Audience Engagement, The Walt Disney Studios) on inclusion and belonging, followed by Dr Stacy Smith and Katherine Pieper from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California, who will present a new research study. The track will conclude with a panel discussion on the state of diversity, inclusion and gender parity efforts in the industry. Success stories from artists and executives from around the world will also be presented. The event will be moderated by WIA Vice President Jinko Gotoh.
FMX 2020 Trailer #2 Mulm
The FMX trailers are traditionally created by students of the FMX organiser Animationsinstitut (Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg). To mark the 25th anniversary, the animated short film Mulm forms the basis for a series of four trailers that set the tone for FMX in 2020. The second trailer provides more information about what keeps our obsessed physicist from his work – and although the whole situation is set in a strange world, it seems to be something very commonplace for many of us.
FMX 2020 Forum News: Epic Main Partner
Epic news can be announced – FMX is delighted to announce that Epic Games, the studio behind Unreal Engine, will once again be Main Partner! They will be welcoming visitors to their Company Suite in the Heilbronn area, where they will be offering a Virtual Production Demo Lab. Chaos Group, Dynamixyz and KeenTools will have a stand at the Marketplace. Notch, Chaos Group and vrbn studios will be offering workshops. Other participants in the Recruiting Hub are Union VFX, DNEG, Mikros Image, Axis Studios, Rodeo FX, One Of Us and Weta Digital.
The School Campus is already fully booked. The newly confirmed participating universities are: Hochschule Darmstadt – University of Applied Sciences, National Film and Television School, Anomalia, Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart,Mediadesign Hochschule – University of Applied Sciences (MD.H), Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences, Film Academy Vienna, Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Escape Studios, ArtFX – School of Digital Arts and mAHS, media Akademie – Hochschule Stuttgart.
27. Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film
in 2020, the FMX partner event, the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS), celebrates its 27th edition. From 5 to 10 May 2020, Stuttgart will once again become a centre of the animation world. Up to 100,000 visitors will marvel at the best animated films from all over the world at the ITFS. The 6,000 industry professionals expected to attend the ITFS, FMX and Animation Production Days (APD) include producers, curators, buyers, sales agents, representatives from TV stations and the media as well as filmmakers. The first programme highlights include the focus topics Copines! Focus on France and Wonderwomen – Women in Games & Animation.
Early Birds for FMX until 13 March
Just a few days left for the Early Birds at FMX 2020: Early Bird tickets for FMX 2020 can still be purchased in the Ticket Shop until 13 March 2020.
Further information: To the official FMX 2020 page
