Stuttgart becomes the Capital of Animation as the 33rd ITFS Get’s Underway
Skwigly
The 33rd Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) has begun: on Tuesday evening, 5 May, Germany’s largest festival for animated film presented the first short films from this year’s competition programme at the sold-out Gloria 1 cinema in Stuttgart’s city centre. Alongside festival directors Heike Mozer and Annegret Richter, State Secretary Arne Braun (Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg), Stuttgart’s Lord Mayor Frank Nopper and Michael Kaiser, Managing Director of the Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation (WRS), welcomed numerous guests from the worlds of politics and culture.
A total of 350 guests gathered to kick off the festival week. From now until 10 May, the ITFS will be showcasing animation in all its forms, becoming a magnet for filmmakers, creatives and film enthusiasts from all over the world. Dr. Frank Nopper, Lord Mayor of Stuttgart, praised the ITFS as an important cultural driving force for the state capital at today’s opening:
“This is the 33rd Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film: 33 editions of outstanding animated film art with international appeal, in and from Stuttgart. Thanks to the festival and its long history, Stuttgart has, in a sense, become the Hollywood of animation.”
Hosted by Jane Mumford, the audience got to watch the first seven short films from the ITFS International Competition on the big screen. Under the headline “Path of Life”, the competition’s first programme block explores the seemingly minor events in life that determine the protagonists’ fortune or misfortune. These include two German co-productions: TEARS (directed by Paulina Ziolkowska) portrays a woman torn between choices in a world full of possibilities. In WITH TAPES AND TOASTS IN THE CAR (dir. Kiana Naghshineh), Shari, who is terminally ill, learns how important family is and how they can face their fate together. Due to high demand, the programme blocks of the ITFS International Competition will be repeated several times throughout the festival.
The ITFS demonstrates just how powerful and relevant animation is today: we are noticing a return to traditional techniques, whilst new technologies are being critically examined. In terms of content, many films address the uncertainties of our time, exploring social tensions, dystopian realities and personal perspectives, often without offering any simple solutions.
Annegret Richter, Artistic Director of Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH
Across the five film and three project competitions at the ITFS, eleven prizes totalling 60,000 euros will be awarded during the festival. The winners will be selected by international juries and a children’s jury, but the audience can also cast their votes in the ITFS International Competition.
The first animated film of the evening was this year’s festival trailer KEY, a symbol of the diversity and creativity brought together by the international animation scene at the festival. As in previous years, the trailer was created by students from the Animationsinstitut at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and provides a first platform for the industry’s up-and-coming talents. The festival’s significance is also evident in its regional roots, particularly in terms of the economic and creative influence it brings to Stuttgart as a location.
The ITFS brings together creativity, technology and business in a way that is rarely seen – whilst remaining a vibrant film festival with a unique atmosphere, where artists can showcase their work, network and explore new opportunities. It creates a platform on which the region can present itself as an innovative location, and impressively demonstrates how creative ideas give rise to concrete applications and viable business models – and that innovation from the creative sector contributes directly to economic value creation.
Michael Kaiser, Managing Director of Stuttgart Region Economic Development Corporation (WRS)
Together with its two partner events – the FMX conference and the Animation Production Days co-production market – the ITFS forms Stuttgart Animated Week, which offers seven days full of inspiration and exchange and reinforces Baden-Württemberg’s leading position in the field of animation and the production of digital visual effects. Stuttgart Animated Week was officially opened on Monday evening with a speech by State Secretary Arne Braun and a keynote by director Reza Memari at the state reception in the White Hall of the New Palace.
Stuttgart Animated Week showcases the entire animation industry in the best possible light. This is where the key players come together – from story development and financing through to production, presentation and distribution. Stuttgart is the place to be for professionals from all over the world and once again showcases the state as a major centre for animation and film. The largest film festival in the state, the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, stands out in three key ways: as an international showcase, as a central industry gathering and as a crowd-puller. Here, great artistic mastery meets technological innovation – all at the highest level. As is customary in spring, the international industry and the next generation of talent inspire one another, and the diversity and strength of our animation scene blossoms. The audience will love it.
Arne Braun, State Secretary at the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and Arts
Following the festival opening on Tuesday evening, the managing directors of the ITFS and other industry guests gathered at the Festival Centre in the Haus der Katholischen Kirche for the exhibition “Lotte’s Legacy – Shadow Play from Babelsberg to Southeast Asia”, and a festive get-together. Until the festival’s closing day on Sunday, the exhibition will showcase works by students from Berlin and Singapore who offer contemporary interpretations of the paper-cutting technique, blending it with cultural influences such as German expressionism, Japanese woodblock prints, punk aesthetics and modern comics to create new stylistic expressions. Admission to the exhibition in the building’s gallery is free for visitors throughout the week.
The ITFS will be screening around 500 films across 150 events over six days. The full programme and detailed information on individual films can be found online in the calendar on the festival website: https://itfs.de/en/programme/
Various ticket options are available: Cinema Tickets for individual screenings and Day Tickets can be purchased at any time on site at the box office of the Innenstadtkinos in the Gloria Passage, or online via the respective event page: https://itfs.de/en/programme/