For those who don’t know the event: FMX is Europe’s long-running conference for animation, visual effects, interactive media, games and basically the same topics as Digital Production. It takes place every spring in Stuttgart and online as part of Stuttgart Animated Week. The event is organised by the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and runs alongside the Animation Production Days (APD) market and the International Festival of Animated Film Stuttgart. FMX combines technical talks, case studies, workshops, exhibitions and a marketplace for tools and services. Attendance spans creative professionals, technologists and students.

Early Programme Highlights Confirmed

FMX 2026, themed THE ROAD AHEAD, has confirmed the first sessions focusing on visual effects practice and the impact of artificial intelligence on creative workflows. One confirmed session from Pixomondo VFX Supervisor Max Riess will detail the transformation of human actors into animal characters for the feature Woodwalkers 2, covering on-set supervision, digital blend techniques and rendering strategies used to create authentic animal performances. This is one of the first concrete case studies announced ahead of the conference.

Another confirmed talk will feature Dr Aaron Hertzmann from Adobe Research discussing whether AI algorithms can be considered artists, grounded in parallels to historical art technologies. He argues that while generative AI tools reshape production and the understanding of art, they are unlikely to be recognised as artists themselves in the near term.

Larry Cutler, CTO of Baobab Studios, is scheduled to share industry-wide patterns in reactions to “job-killing” technologies, drawing from his experience with AI-driven character systems. These early confirmations suggest FMX 2026 will combine production insight with reflective debate on emergent technologies.

FMX Forum and Partner Participation

In addition to conference talks, the FMX Forum is open for bookings and planned to include workshops, a marketplace for tools and technologies, recruiting hubs, and university showcases. Partners already confirmed include Abstract, CG Wire, RnDeep and VFX PICK for the marketplace; Artineering and Prism Pipeline for workshop slots; Chaos in the company suite; and several studios and educational institutions in the recruiting and campus spaces. These components aim to give attendees direct access to tools, technology and talent pipelines.

Animation Production Days: Submit by February

The Animation Production Days (APD 2026), the business and co-production market that runs from 5–7 May in Stuttgart as part of Stuttgart Animated Week, has opened submissions for animation projects. APD is the key co-production and financing platform in Germany for feature films, TV series, mobile content, games, cross-media and virtual reality projects, bringing producers into curated one-to-one meetings with broadcasters, streamers, distributors and financing partners. Projects should be in concept or development and demonstrate international co-production potential. Up to 50 projects will be selected and showcased at the event. Project entries are accepted until 4 February 2026.

APD also offers a Talent Programme for emerging European producers and creator teams, providing free accreditation and festival access to selected teams, including accommodation support.

Notes for Production Artists
Attendees and presenters should verify final session details when the full FMX programme is published, as early confirmations may be updated with additional technical specifics closer to the event dates. And there is always a boiit of shift.

P.S: This is your reminder: Book hotels well in advance, or you have to stay somewhere in the Swabian mountains. There be dragons!

The post FMX 2026: First Talks Confirmed and APD Project Submissions Open first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.