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The 19th Animation Production Days (APDs) are set to take place from May 6 to 8, 2025, in Stuttgart, offering Europe’s animation professionals a critical platform to pitch, connect, and innovate. As part of a joint venture between FMX – Film & Media Exchange and the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS), APDs serve as the premier co-production and financing market for the European animation sector.

Filmmakers, producers, and creators from across Europe will meet with potential partners, including broadcasters, distributors, and financiers. The event also features networking opportunities and discussions on the latest industry trends, providing a solid foundation for strategic alliances.

How to Submit Projects

Producers can submit projects across various categories: film, TV series, mobile content, games, cross- and transmedia, and VR. Submissions must be made by February 4, 2025, with the option for early bird discounts available for entries submitted by January 17, 2025. Early submissions benefit from reduced accreditation fees, making it a cost-effective choice for participants. Detailed submission guidelines can be found on the APDs registration page.

Selected projects will be presented in pre-scheduled one-to-one meetings, offering creators direct access to potential partners from streaming platforms, distributors, and funding bodies.

Opportunities for Emerging Talent

The Talent Programme invites applications from up-and-coming European producers and creator teams (up to two members per project) with promising animation concepts. Up to eight projects will be chosen to receive free accreditation for APDs, as well as tickets to FMX and ITFS. Accommodation costs are covered, with the goal of helping young professionals connect with industry experts and gain entry to the European market. Details can be found on the Talent Programme page.

Investor and Co-Producer Programmes

The Investor Programme caters to broadcasters, streamers, distributors, and funding representatives seeking fresh content. The Co-Producer Programme targets production companies and studios aiming to collaborate as co-producers or service providers. Both programs offer early bird rates until January 17, 2025. Visit the Investor Programme page or the Co-Producer Programme page for details.

Part of Stuttgart Animated Week

APDs are a cornerstone of Stuttgart Animated Week, which also includes FMX and ITFS. Together, these events draw up to 6,000 industry professionals annually, creating a hub for shaping the future of animation.

For more details, visit the Animation Production Days official website.

The post Submit Projects Now for Animation Production Days 2025 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Sustainability behind the FMX scenes

Less than four weeks before the start of the event, FMX 2023 has initiated many steps to reduce its own carbon footprint as a climate-fair certified event by the KSS Climate Protection Foundation Baden-Württemberg . The concrete changes in the area of resources include, for example, reducing decorations and material displays. Wherever possible, European speakers will travel by train to save resources, and CO2 offsetting will also help to offset the emissions generated when booking international trips. Further specific measures for energy and water supply, accommodation, catering, purchasing, event marketing and public relations can be found here.

New programme highlights!

EVOLVING panel on sustainability and energy consumption

The panel “Evolving Research & Technology for a Minimised Footprint” with Volker Helzle (Animationsinstitut der Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg), Michael McKenna (Final Pixel), Prof. Jan Adamczyk (Hochschule der Medien) and Ben Kent (Foundry) will focus on technological advances that make sustainable media productions possible and necessary – also in view of increased computing power on the one hand and rising energy costs on the other. In this context, more and more production companies have published reports on their environmental protection and sustainability plans. This raises a number of questions: How will sustainability be woven into the training of the next generation of media professionals? What requirements are placed on VFX service providers and animation studios and are these comprehensible? Is sustainability, alongside salary and equality, a criterion that should be considered when choosing an employer? The panel includes short input presentations and dialogue with the audience.

Philipp Nägelsbach on the climate change game ENDLING – EXTINCTION IS FOREVER

The award-winning game ENDLING – EXTINCTION IS FOREVER raises awareness of the social and ecological problems caused by human impact on nature. The players encounter these problems from the perspective of the last mother fox on earth, who has to find food and a safe place for her cubs. Producer Philipp Nägelsbach will talk about the game’s approach of effectively and emotionally addressing real-life problems in the game world.

Espen Nordahl (Storm Studios) on THE LAST OF US including the zombie kiss scene

Storm Studios was the creative service provider that worked the longest on the VFX for the highly acclaimed HBO series THE LAST OF US , covering all steps from early pre-production to final approval of over 150 VFX shots. Storm helped define some of the most challenging creative aspects of the series, including CG close-ups of infected, cordyceps, CG stunt doubles and the infamous zombie kiss scene. VFX supervisor Espen Nordahl will talk about the design process and working with the game’s source material. He will also discuss his passion for plate shots, which he used to work on the VFX, even when it came to scenes that were fully CG.

Carlo van de Roer (Satellite Lab) on the lighting setup for THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER

Satellite Lab’s PlateLight is a system for simultaneously filming separate lighting setups on set that can be combined in post-production to control the live-action lighting. This talk by Carlo van de Roer will discuss how PlateLight was used to control the position and movement of the sun and interactive lighting during the filming of THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER for the “Moon of Shame” and “Endgame” sequences. Satellite Lab will give FMX audiences an insight into the work that went into developing its in-camera techniques and film ideas.

Immersive literary adaptations HÖLDERLIN’S ECHO VR and SHAKESVR

Hannes Rall’s HÖLDERLIN’S ECHO VR explores the life and work of the famous poet through an animated serious game in VR, which was created in collaboration with the University of Tübingen (Prof Susanne Marschall, co-author/director), Stuttgart Media University (Prof Stefan Radicke) and the Hölderlinturm Museum in Tübingen. Rall has been working with renowned partners on animated VR literary adaptations since 2016: His previous projects have also included SHAKESVR and PERICLES with the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon. Together with Prof Susanne Marschall , Hannes Rall will provide insights into the creative and technological development and production processes of the projects – and also address the specific challenges arising from the transformation of literature into animation and gaming.

Mark Edwards (DreamWorks Animation) on THE STYLED CAT: THE LAST WISH

DreamWorks Animation VFX Supervisor Mark Edwards discusses the iconic scene in THE SEDUCED CAT: THE LAST WISH, in which the Wolf character makes his first appearance. FMX audiences can immerse themselves in the realisation of this modern fairy tale – and learn, for example, what inspired the key moments of the sequence and why so-called Easter eggs and flashbacks are important to the story. From the initial modelling decisions to the compositing filters, Edwards will show exactly how the painterly world of THE SHEEPED CAT: THE LAST WISH was brought to life.

DNEG Animation creative team on the look and style of ENTERGALACTIC

DNEG Animation is the creative team behind the Netflix animated musical ENTERGALACTIC starring Kid Cudi. At FMX, they talk about how it was possible to create the stylised look of the project. Costume designer Natasha Kanolik, for example, will explain what it took to realise fashion designer Virgil Abloh’s designs in CG, while animation director Kapil Sharma will talk about how his team developed an animation style that is representative of the show.

Masterclasses by Ed Hooks and Craig Caldwell

With Ed Hooks’ masterclasses, FMX visitors can learn both the basics and the essentials: Ed Hooks‘ two-part masterclass “Acting for Animators” is aimed at professionals from the 2D and 3D sector who want to tell believable characters, and Craig Caldwell gives participants in “Breaking the Story Formula” the practical know-how to recognise the rules of a “good story” – and to break them successfully.

Forum News

Below you will find the latest commitments from the various forum areas.

Recruiting Hub: Mack Animation , Milk VFX, Wētā FX .

Marketplace: Chaos, HP, Manus, Singarajan VFX, Synk, 3D Connexion.

Workshops: Avid, Escape Technology, VFX PICK STUDIO.

The post FMX: Sustainability, The Last of Us, Thor and much more first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

FMX 2023 also combines a look at past achievements with brand-new developments: The THEN & NOW track highlights visual effects and stop motion animation, while the N.E.W.S. track focuses on future productions by deserving animated filmmakers, including animation producer Manuel Cristóbal (BUÑUEL – IM LABYRINTH DER SCHILDKRÖTEN) with the project THE GLASSWORKER, the first hand-drawn animated film from Pakistan. Series will not be neglected either: a talk on the Netflix show SANDMAN will focus on the VFX highlights of the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s successful graphic novel. Other companies and universities have also confirmed their participation in the FMX Forum – and Foundry, Maxon and ASUS are new Silver Partners. Tickets for the entire conference and forum programme are still on sale online; however, the Early Bird discount is only valid until 13 March. As a long-standing event partner, the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) will be presenting an insight into the upcoming edition.

Programme commitmentsOnsite in Stuttgart: Manuel Cristóbal (BUÑUEL – IM LABYRINTH DER SCHILDKRÖTEN) talks about THE GLASSWORKER Alex Dowding with insights into APOLLO 10 1/2 Juan Pablo Zaramella (LUMINARIS) shows creative process With N.E.W.S., FMX 2023 presents an outstanding series of events with leading creative minds from all over the world. Award-winning animated film producer Manuel Cristóbal (WRINKLES, BUÑUEL – IN THE LABYRINTH OF THE SHIELDS, LOST IN GALICIA) will talk about his recent collaboration with director Usman Riaz on his new film THE GLASSWORKER. Amsterdam-based Studio Submarine is known for its innovative work on high-profile hybrid animation projects, notably Richard Linklater’s APOLLO 10 1/2 and the acclaimed TV series UNDONE – producer Alex Dowding will be on hand to discuss APOLLO 10 1/2. FMX is also delighted to welcome back inspirational stop-motion director Juan Pablo Zaramella from Argentina. His highly acclaimed short film LUMINARIS has won over 324 awards and is a global audience favourite. Juan Pablo is currently working on his new feature film I AM NINA. These two sessions will showcase the exciting creative possibilities that arise when you bring together talent and studios from different parts of the world to explore a wide range of animation techniques. Shelley Page, animation veteran and International Talent Scout, will introduce the N.E.W.S. Talks.

On location in Stuttgart: Georgina Hayns on puppet making for PINOCCHIO and other films Jeffrey Okun shares VFX insights

How can animation and visual effects be practically realised? Ian Failes (befores & afters) curates and moderates two THEN & NOW sessions on ground-breaking innovations in traditional film-making professions. Georgina Hayns, whose filmography includes Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-nominated PINOCCHIO and several LAIKA films, will talk about her work as a puppet manufacturing supervisor. She will explain how puppets for stop-motion animation films are designed, built and operated using both traditional mechanical puppet mechanisms and 3D printing. Visual effects can also be created hands-on: Visual Effects Supervisor Jeffrey Okun (THE LAST STARFIGHTER, STARGATE or THE LAST SAMURAI) sits down with Ian Failes and Hugo Guerra from Hugo’s Desk for a special LIVE session of their VFX Notes podcast. Together they discuss the joys and sorrows of implementing VFX.

On location in Stuttgart: Matt Kavanagh & Natacha Pianeti from Untold Studios: VFX for the Netflix hit SANDMAN

VFX Lead Matt Kavanagh and VFX Artist Natacha Pianeti (both Untold Studios) take the audience on a sightseeing tour through the making of some of the most memorable sequences from the Netflix hit SANDMAN. Untold Studios worked on over 360 shots, utilising an incredibly wide range of VFX techniques. From the all-consuming hell portal scene to the transformation of Stephen Fry into a meadow to hundreds of photorealistic, painterly CGI cats in the Annie-nominated bonus episode “A Dream of a Thousand Cats”, Kavanagh and Pianeti will share a behind-the-scenes look at the tools and techniques used to bring the series to life. They will also talk about the creative process, challenges and experiences.

Forum News

Numerous companies have now confirmed further workshops and Marketplace participations – and the same applies to the education sector: the School Campus is now fully booked. Forum partners and universities that have not yet been announced can be found here:

Recruiting Hub

Animal Logic, Axis Studios, Blue Zoo Animation, Cinesite, El Ranchito, Electric Theatre Collective, Flying Bark, Framestore, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Recom, RISE FX, Rising Sun Pictures, Skydance Animation, Studio Isar Animation, Trixter

Marketplace

Anchorpoint, ASUS, CG Wire, Escape Technology, Graswald, Lenovo, Move AI, Movella, Optitrack, Qualisys, RnDeep, The Captury, Vicon, Zeiss.

Workshops

El Ranchito, Esri, Foundry, Maxon, Prism Pipeline, SAE Institute, Vicon.

School Campus: Breda University of Applied Sciences, Escape Studios, Hochschule Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Hochschule Mainz – University of Applied Sciences, Hochschule Offenburg, ifs internationale filmschule köln, Mediadesign Hochschule, MOME Anim | Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest, Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria – School of Informatics, Communications and Media.

Three new Silver Partners: Foundry, Maxon and ASUS

Three leading companies are now also Silver Partners of FMX: Foundry: Foundry offers various software solutions for the media and entertainment industry in the field of visual effects and animation. Maxon: Maxon develops software solutions for creative professionals in the fields of 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, VFX and visualisation. ASUS: ProArt by ASUS offers laptops, desktops, displays, projectors, mainboards and accessories tailored to artistic needs.

30.

International Festival of Animated Film Stuttgart (ITFS)Under the motto “Animation connects!”, the FMX partner event ITFS invites you to Stuttgart from 25 to 30 April 2023 to celebrate the 30th edition together. The focus will be on the latest competition films as well as gems from the past with various best-of programmes. With themes such as “Artificial Intelligence”, the festival will also look to the future. South Africa will also be a country focus. Industry accreditation is still available at a discounted early bird rate until 15 March.

Further information can be found here: https://www.itfs.de.

FMX is funded by the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Württemberg and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism Baden-Württemberg, MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg and the City of Stuttgart and takes place in cooperation with ACM Siggraph. FMX is organised by the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and hosts the Animation Production Days (APD) together with the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS).

Further information can be found at: www.fmx.de

The post The Sandman, Early Bird FMX Tickets und mehr first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

In nuce: The 29th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS for short) ended the week before last. This was the first time that the festival was held as a hybrid event. This is according to a recent press release. After three years, the ITFS was once again able to take place on location at numerous venues – including Stuttgart’s Schlossplatz, the local city centre cinemas and the Hospitalhof.

The winners: The highlight was the grand awards ceremony, which concluded the international event after six packed days. The Grand Prix (major animated film prize of the state of Baden-Württemberg and the city of Stuttgart), the Lotte Reiniger Award for Animated Film, Young Animation, AniMovie, Trickstar Nature Award and the FANtastic Award were awarded. At the SWR OnlineFilm Audience Award, the audience voted for their favourite from all the ITFS 2022 entries.

Other winners: The winning team of the Crazy Horse Session – 48H Animation Jam was announced on Sunday afternoon. The winners of the Animated Games Award Germany, German Animation Screenplay Award and Trickstar Business Award had already been presented at the Trickstar Professional Awards on 4 May and the Tricks for Kids Award on 7 May.

The winners at a glance: If you want to get an overview of the winners, including the jury’s reasoning, we recommend clicking over to itfs.de .

The ITFS in figures: Although the number of visitors to the ITFS 2022 was lower than in 2019, this was offset by the large number of online guests. To date, the organisers have recorded around 10,000 views in the associated online media library. A total of 20,000 views are expected by the end of the online programme. Around 20,000 viewers were present in the cinemas and at the various venues.

An outlook: The next Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film will take place from 25 to 30 April 2023.

The post The 29th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film – a mega-success? first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.

In nuce: Under the title “Greater commitment and new funding initiatives for German animated film for adults and artistic talent!”, the managing directors of the Film and Media Festival and the managing directors and chairwomen of the AG Animationsfilm have issued a press release which – in the form of a commentary – takes a critical look at the status of animated film in Germany and argues in favour of funding for animated short films. The four signatories are Prof Ulrich Wegenast (Artistic Director of the Film and Media Festival), Dieter Krauß (Commercial Director of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film), Annegret Richter (Managing Director of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film) and Fabian Driehorst (Chairman of the Board of AG Animationsfilm e. V.). Below is the text in full length. For better readability, we have added subtitles to the text.

The unabridged press release follows.

So why are there no feature-length films in the adult section from Germany? The way the Best Animated Film category was announced at the Academy Awards this year showed that animation for adults is still not taken seriously. And this despite the fact that “Flee”, a film explicitly aimed at an adult audience, was nominated at the 2022 Oscars! It is true that most animated films are made in the children’s film and family entertainment sector and are very successful. German animated films also regularly achieve box office success abroad, both in the cinema and on VOD platforms. But animation can do so much more. It enables innovative, artistic and creative design, different perspectives and forms of presentation that cannot be realised in real film. We believe that Germany has the potential for exciting stories in the adult sector. This is demonstrated by the international success of German short films, which are generally not children’s films. AG Animationsfilm and ITFS ask themselves: So why are there no feature-length films in the adult sector from Germany?

Animated films with adult themes – also from Germany? Animated films for adults have been celebrating great success with audiences and critics abroad for years. Films such as “Waltz with Bashir”, “Persepolis”, “Isle of Dogs”, “The Breadwinner” or “Flee”, which was recently nominated for three Oscars, show that animation can also tackle more serious themes and tell complex stories for an adult audience. Above all, the hybrid form of animated documentary film is gaining more and more audiences, as it allows socially relevant and political topics, such as war, persecution, flight or homosexuality in a homophobic environment, to be presented in an abstract, anonymised and yet captivating way. Unfortunately, German production companies only play a minor role in these productions – if at all! However, this is not due to a lack of interest or a lack of material from German production companies, as the annual submissions to the German Animation Screenplay Award of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) and the Animation Production Days show.

Film funding for Germany as a centre for animation? What is needed is a much greater willingness on the part of television broadcasters and film funding organisations to support animated material for an adult audience. For example, not placing animation exclusively in the children’s sector, but rather in the entertainment sector of public broadcasters, would open up other budgets, themes and opportunities. And German distributors would also have to show more courage for ambitious animated films. These changes would also sustainably enrich the production landscape for animation in Germany, as the portfolio of many production companies, which is usually limited to children’s series and cinema films, would be significantly diversified by other themes. This form of diversification would not only be an economic one, but of course also a cultural one in terms of content, as the variety of themes of the films mentioned above makes clear. Greater support for animated films for adults would strengthen the important social relevance of animation and would therefore also be a stabilising factor for democracy, as animated films, unlike documentaries, often reach a new audience through their unique narrative style, aesthetics and visual language and can often be used over a longer period of time. Series such as the Amazon production “Undone” by Dutch animator Hisko Hülsing – an animation artist who is a regular guest at the ITFS with his short films – show that animation for adults does not have to be a niche product, even in series. The second season of “Undone” was released on Amazon Prime in 240 countries and territories on 29 April 2022.

Is German animated film (for adults a niche existence)? Overall, it is striking that it is not only on the major platforms such as Amazon Video or Netflix, e.g. with the stop motion project “The House”, which will be presented at this year’s ITFS, that European but not German animated film for adults is very successful! At this year’s ITFS, not only the above-mentioned Danish production “Flee” will be shown in the feature film competition, but also the Czech-Slovak-French production “My Sunny Maad”. The film “The Odyssey” can also be seen at this year’s ITFS. Although there is German production involvement here, the wonderfully picturesque story about flight and displacement bears the clear signature of French director and animator Florence Miaihle in terms of content and aesthetics.

The European Film Awards – A summary: The strong presence of adult material and themes in European animated film is also reflected in the European Film Awards, which have been presented since 2009: of the 13 awards presented to date, ten prizes have gone to animated films for adults – including “L’Illusioniste”, “Chico & Rita”, “Alois Nebel”, “The Congress”, “Loving Vincent” and most recently “Josep” (2020) and “Flee” (2021). None of these were explicitly German animation productions, but only in the case of “Alois Nebel” productions with a small co-production share from Germany! How can that be?

Funding tools, initiatives & promotion of young talent – is it enough? It would be too easy to blame this disastrous result solely on the German TV stations and film funding organisations. Changes need to be made to the overall structure of the German animation production landscape and new funding tools and initiatives need to be developed. This absolutely starts with the promotion of young talent! For example, the AG Animationsfilm has been calling for years for the creation of newcomer formats on German television with adapted conditions for animated films in terms of budget and length. This also includes, for example, the establishment of medium-length formats, specials or mini-series. However, funding and broadcasters need to break new ground for this. Although festivals such as the ITFS support up-and-coming animators with the Lotte Reiniger Award – endowed with 10,000 euros – this is not nearly enough. Initiatives such as Ani:Dox from Denmark, which was involved in the development of the material for “Flee”, show that promoting young talent through prize money and programmes can certainly be successful.

German short film funding – a model for the future: This once again clearly shows that the promotion of animated films for adults begins with support for short films. For example, 90% of the animated short films produced at German film schools are aimed at an adult audience. However, this ratio is completely reversed after graduation, as – in contrast to France and other European countries – there is simply no comprehensive funding programme for (animated) short films. Such short film funding would be cost-effective and sustainable! If every German regional film funding programme were to provide an amount of one million euros per year for around ten short films, the animation landscape in Germany, as far as animated films for adults are concerned, could flourish and grow permanently in a short space of time. A significant increase in short film funding from the federal government, which currently provides a maximum of 30,000 euros per film, would also have an effect on the German animation landscape.

Artists in residence – funding for artists: In addition to quick and easy short film funding in the field of animation, “animators in residence” programmes, as we know them from the visual arts, would also be particularly helpful. Such programmes exist in France at the production company Folimage or at the Animation Workshop Viborg in Denmark and are extremely successful! Such programmes would also be a great opportunity to create stronger links between art foundations and film funding organisations, which usually operate completely separately, and to create new synergies.

An outlook: These examples alone show that, with just a few changes, it would be possible to establish an internationally relevant animation scene that grows sustainably. The talent and the material for a new animation awakening are available, as the programme of this year’s ITFS impressively demonstrates.

Click further: We last reported on the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) on 8 April 2022, when it was advertised with film and workshop offers for the little ones (and their adult followers) – including film premieres, open-air cinema and other offers at the “Tricks for Kids”.

The post ITFS decision-makers comment on Germany as a centre for animation first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Patrick Poti.