“Animation Connects!” is the motto of the anniversary edition of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, which will take place from 25 to 30 April 2023 for the 30th time. True to this motto, the ITFS will focus on connections between the audience, professionals, artists, talents and established filmmakers.

In different film programs and events, an arc is spanned from “best of programs” to the most current films and topics. As one of the world’s most important festivals for animated film, ITFS 2023 will take place at various venues in Stuttgart, including the Schlossplatz and the Innenstadtkinos, and will bring the world of animation together locally.

Tickets for accreditation and festival passes are now available at www.ITFS.de/en/tickets

 At the heart of the festival is the International Competition, featuring the latest animated short films from around the world. The diverse programme showcases important themes such as the exploration of migration and trauma, sexuality and gender, environment, social anxiety and loneliness, as well as films on human abysses. OSCAR 2023 nominated short films will also be screened.

Complete lists of the short film competitions programmes can be find here: https://www.ITFS.de/en/programme/short-and-feature-films

Migration and trauma

„Letter to a Pig“, Tal Kantor (France/Israel, 01/2022)

In “Letter to a Pig” (France/Israel, 01/2022), award-winning animator and visual artist Tal Kantor shows a unique technique that combines drawing, photography, video, painting, and animation. The story is about a Holocaust survivor reading a letter he wrote to the pig who saved his life. While listening, a young schoolgirl falls into a strange dream, where she is confronted with questions of identity, collective trauma, and the extremes of human nature.

“Salvation Has No Name”, Joseph Wallace (Czech Republic/France/United Kingdom, 07/2022)

Joseph Wallace’s “Salvation Has No Name” (Czech Republic/France/United Kingdom, 07/2022) is dedicated to the topics of migration and narrow-mindedness. A troupe performs a play about a priest and a refugee woman. As their misguided story unfolds, the boundaries between fiction and reality begin to blur and the situation escalates.

Films with a view to the human abyss

“Scale”, Joseph Pierce (Belgium/France/United Kingdom, 04/2022)

The ITFS will screen the short film “Scale” (Belgium/France/United Kingdom, 04/2022) by award-winning filmmaker Joseph Pierce (among Screen International’s “Stars of Tomorrow” in 2008). Losing the sense of scale: As Will’s drug addiction gets worse, he tries to unravel the sequence of events that led to his predicament before he is lost forever.

“Pachyderme”, Stéphanie Clément (France, 01/2022)

French filmmaker Stéphanie Clément’s “Pachyderme” (01/2022) offers a glimpse into one of Louise’s summer days in the countryside with her grandparents. But the familiar is overshadowed by anxiety, sadness, and a monster – so subtle and frightening.

Gender & Identity

„Sasha“ (Serghei Chiviriga, Romania, 03/2022)

The Romanian short film “Sasha” (Serghei Chiviriga, 03/2022) is about a teenager in the shape of a snail, who, confused by the whole world and the own body, is forced to discover the truth about the own sexual identity in a strange way.

 Environment & Society – With a pinch of humour

„Sandwich Cat“, David Fidalgo Omil (Spain, 09/2022)

In a humorous short film, the film “Sandwich Cat” by David Fidalgo Omil (Spain, 09/2022) shows us a mirror image of humanity – with all its good and especially bad qualities. David himself plays a decisive role. Can we humans still be saved?

„The Invention of Less“, Noah Erni (Suisse, 12/2021)

In 2031, a young female polar bear has to leave her home due to global warming and moves to Zurich. Together with the other animals who have fled, she manages to get by with odd jobs. But then she has a world-changing idea! “The Invention of Less” by Noah Erni (Switzerland, 12/2021) shows in a humorous and entertaining way how the world might be saved by a little trick.

OSCAR Nominated Films at ITFS

In addition to some nominated shorts that screened at ITFS last year, this year ITFS is screening several OSCAR nominated films, and thus possibly the winning film of this year’s Academy Awards. These include the following:

“Ice Mechants”, João Gonzalez (France/Portugal/United Kingdom, 05/2022)

João Gonzalez was the first Portuguese filmmaker ever to be nominated for an Academy Award. In addition to the Jury Prize for Best Short Film in the Critics’ Week Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, “Ice Merchants” (France/Portugal/United Kingdom, 05/2022) received a nomination for Best European Short Film at the 2022 European Film Awards. The film tells the story of a father and his son who parachute out of their vertiginous cliff-mounted cold house every day to go to the distant village on the ground where they sell their ice.

„The Flying Sailor“ Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tilby (Canada, 02/2022)

“The Flying Sailor” by Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tilby (Canada, 02/2022) is a film based on a true incident and a meditation on the unexpected voyage of a sailor.

In addition, the OSCAR nominated film “My Year of Dicks” (Sara Gunnarsdottir, Iceland/USA, 03/2022) will be screened in the ITFS supporting programme.

Social anxieties and loneliness

„Pasajero“ („Passenger“). Juan Pablo Zaramella (Argentinia, 01/2022)

In “Pasajero” (“Passenger”) by Juan Pablo Zaramella (Argentina, 01/2022), we accompany a man on his train journey where he gets into numerous social conflicts. He travels from the solitude of the countryside to the populated city, establishes superficial relationships with random passengers, confronts them with their social codes and finally processes these deep inside himself to find a way to adapt to his surroundings.

Koerkorter (“Dog-Apartment”), Priit Tender (Estonia, 2022)

The dark stop-motion film Koerkorter (“Dog-Apartment”, Estonia, 2022) by award-winning Priit Tender is about the bizarre relationship between a discarded ballet dancer and his butcher, where he has a job to satisfy his voracious rented apartment. A film full of metaphor, about daily routines, broken souls trapped in a bleak world with their anxieties and hardships.

Tickets now available at the Early Bird rate

Whether for film fans, families, or professionals – the ITFS offers events and programmes for every target audience. This is also reflected in the different types of tickets, which are now available in the ticket shop at www.ITFS.de/en/tickets.For the public, there is the Festival Pass, which grants access to almost all events during the festival. For the industry, the ITFS offers accreditation. Until 15 March 2024, the Festival Pass as well as the industry accreditation are available at the reduced Early Bird rate.

To register for press accreditation, please go to: https://www.ITFS.de/en/press-pr/accreditation/

Contact Press and Public Relations: presse@festival-gmbh.de
Katrin Dietrich, dietrich@festival-gmbh.de, +49 (0) 711-925 46-102

Der Beitrag The first cinematic highlights of the ITFS programme erschien zuerst auf ITFS - Internationales Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart.

Every day we offer a various entertainment programme for young and old, for film fans and film lovers with our free live stream on www.OnlineFestival.ITFS.de. Start of the live stream is on Tuesday, May 5 at 8pm with the official opening of the OnlineFestival.ITFS.de. As every year, the opening will be moderated by Markus Brock.

Please note, that some programmes will be in German only. We label the talks, lectures and master classes held in English.

Our Live stream programme
from noon: Workshops & Master Classes – for Professionals und those interested
2 pm to 5 pm: ITFS Kids Stream – the family programme
5 pm to 8 pm: Talks & Shorts – the entertaining eve-programme around animation
8 pm to 10 pm: Focus On – the theme night live from the ITFS studio
from 10 pm: ITFS Night Talk – the Stuttgart cultural scene as guest of the ITFS
from 11 pm: ITFS Night Stream – concerts, films and much more

Workshops & Master Classes: For professionals and interested parties
From Wednesday to Sunday: from noon free workshops & master classes take place. 

Wednesday, May 6: Master Class by Nicolas Blies und Stéphane Hueber-Blies “Zero Impunity” // in English
This masterclass is a journey through the world of the social impact film “Zero Impunity” by Nicolas Blies and Stéphane Hueber-Blies. This film is the heart of a global transmedia who combines investigative journalism and activism against the impunity of sexual violence in armed conflict. A new form mixing innovative cinema activism which takes on a dimension of urban guerrilla warfare via projections on façades in strategic and public spaces.
Trailer “Zero Impunity” and video message of Nicolas Blies and Stéphane Hueber-Blies 

Thursday, May 7: Master Class by Denis Walgenwitz (Paris) on artistic expectations versus production possibilities – challenges for animation projects // in English (tbc)
Denis Walgenwitz, director, animation supervisor and lecturer at Animation Sans Frontières tells how artistic visions shape production preparation, how financial constraints influence creative work and how the dialogue between director and production can be optimised. An event of the Creative Europe Desks from Munich and Strasbourg.

Friday, May 8: Screenplay workshop by Pedro Rivero (Bilbao) “Writing for animated and live action films” // in English On writing a script for an animated movie and doing it for a live action movie, a screenwriter can leave decisions that correspond to the director or the art department unfinished. But is that responsible when you should create a whole new world? As a screenwriter of two multi-award-winning adaptations, “Psychonauts: The Forgotten Children”, an animated film based on a graphic novel, and “The Platform”, a live action film based on a play, Pedro Rivero will talk about his biggest challenges.

Saturday May 9: Master Class “Model Making on film” by John Lee & Lisa Ott (NFTS, London) // in English Leading model and prop maker, John Lee, takes to the “virtual” stage at the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film to share his story – from Model animated TV series, Stop motion features such as “Fantastic Mr Fox”, “Frankenweenie”, “Isle of Dogs” and “Moon”, plus three Star Wars movies. John then created the unique one year model making course at The National Film and Television School UK, now in its third successful year. John is delighted to be joined by NFTS Graduate Model maker Lisa Ott, who will present a sample of her work and share her exciting story since graduating in 2019. Both John and Lisa look forward to answering your questions live at the Q&A session afterwards.

Sunday, May 10: Workshop by Tina Brenneisen (Berlin): The SABOTAGE workshop will focus on how classical narrative structures and deadlocked discourses can be loosened up with sabotage techniques. For example, how she constructs stories using guerrilla tactics and Beastie Boy songs.

ITFS Kids Stream: The Family Programm 
From Wednesday to Sunday: 2 pm to 5 pm there will be a family programme with short films and series, e.g. “Nils Holgersson” von Studio 100 and workshops, webinars and interviews.

Talks & Shorts: The entertaining eve-programme
Starting Wednesday daily from 6 pm to 8 pm animated short films for adults alternate with talks and lectures. There will be local talks with regional players and international talks with big names in animated film, such as

• Dustin Grella (Queens College, New York): May 9, 6 pm // in English
• Regina Pessoa (Porto): May 9, 6:45 pm // in English
• or Signe Baumane (New York): May 10, 5 pm

Presentations & Lectures give a unique insight into the artistic work of animation artists like:

• Roger Rabbit-producer Max Howard (London): May 6, 6:45 pm // in English
• or Indie Star Bill Plympton (New York): May 8, 6 pm // in English

We are also pleased to show you the world premiere of the film “Botschaften” with an interview by director Daniel Höpfner (May 6, 7:30 pm). About the film: The photographic blink of an eye of a fraction of a second…, captured forever on one image. The viewer is slowly immersed in the developing, and brought to life, motif. Restless light penetrates through overgrown windows and wanders over surfaces.

Focus On: The theme night live from the ITFS studio
Starting 8 pm: The evening program is hosted daily live by Markus Brock and broadcast from the ITFS studio. Every day there is a new main topic.

• Tuesday, May 5: official Opening with filmclips
• Wednesday, May 6: Focus Animated Oscars with Ron Diamond // in English
• Thursday, May 7: Focus France
• Friday, May 8: Focus Games & eSport
• Saturday, May 9: Focus Music & Animation
• Sunday, May 10: Award Ceremony of the competitions

ITFS Night Talk: The Stuttgart cultural scene as guest of the ITFS
Every day from 10 pm there will be talks with representatives from the cultural scene and with the makers of the ITFS, who will take a look behind the scenes. There will also be small cinematic gems from our partners, including ARTE, and a special late night film programme!

ITFS Night Stream: concerts, films and much more
From 11 pm for all night owls: the ITFS Night Stream with concerts, the ITFS trailer show, Best of 48H Animation Jam of the ITFS of the last 15 years and much more.

Access to OnlineFestival Free is free of charge. The live stream starts on May 5, 2020 with the opening of the OnlineFestival at 8pm on www.OnlineFestival.ITFS.de

Der Beitrag The OnlineFestival.ITFS.de presents its free live stream from May 5 – 10, 2020 erschien zuerst auf ITFS - Internationales Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart.

The on-demand programme OnlineFestival+ from 5 to 10 May 2020 at OnlineFestival.ITFS.de

The OnlineFestival+ section is filled with more and more films, now already about 200, including nine confirmed feature films! Among the feature-length films is also a European premiere: “A Costume for Nicolas” by Eduardo Rivero (Mexico, 2019), but also cult films such as the Oscar-nominated stop-motion classic “Mary & Max”.

OnlineFestival+ is the platform for all animation fans with a selection of the latest entries from the following competitions, which can be watched on-demand from 5 to 10 May exclusively A special highlight: Thanks to numerous video statements by the filmmakers, viewers can gain an insight into their work and find out more about the film. Selected children’s films by Tricks for Kids will also be accompanied by media-pedagogical material.

The film programmes at a glance:
International Competition: artistically high-quality animated short films of the last twelve months
AniMovie: Feature film competition with internationally outstanding animated films
Young Animation: Competition for the best short films by students
Tricks for Kids: Award for the best animated short film for children
Trickstar Nature: International animated short films that deal with the topics climate protection, biodiversity, environment and sustainability

In addition, animated films from the supporting programmes Best of ITFS and Panorama will be shown.

This access to the OnlineFestival+ costs 9,99€ once and can be bought from 5th May on OnlineFestival.ITFS.de. The access ends on 10 May with the festival.  

International Competiton
The international scope of the short films as well as the variety of topics reflects the usual high quality programme of the ITFS: From Tomek Popakul with “ACID RAIN” (Poland, 2019), the Colectif Illlogic with “Maestro” (France, 2019), to renowned studios like Tumblehead Animations with “Tales from the Multiverse” (Magnus Møller, Mette Tange, Peter Smith, Denmark, 2019), up to well-known stars such as Konstantin Bronzit with “He can’t live without cosmos” (Russia, 2019) – the International Competition shines with artistically valuable and entertaining animated short films.
>> Watch Peter Smith Video Message and a clip of “Tales from the Multiverse” here!
>> Filmlist

AniMovie Competition and other Feature Films
Among the feature films is also confirmed a European  premiere: “A Costume for Nicolas” / Director: Eduardo Rivero (Mexico, 2019, 83 min, OV with English subtitles), about a ten-year-old boy with Down’s syndrome, whose mother made a costume for his birthday every year – until she died. And so Nicolas joined his loving grandparents and his cousin David. Nicolas is soon to use these magical costumes to save his cousin from his nightmares and a whole kingdom.

„Zero Impunity“ / Director: Nicolas Blies and Stéphane Hueber-Blies (France/ Luxembourg, 2018, 92 min, OV with English subtitles) of AniMovie Competition 2020: An animated artistic documentary and a call to join the growing global movement that tolerates zero tolerance for sexual violence in war zones around the world – including Syria and Ukraine, on the African continent and in the USA. Zero Impunity features inspiring victims, social workers and activists around the globe who have the courage to get involved, resist and mobilize others. These stories confront us with the terrible mechanisms of international institutions and ancient methods of war and interrogation. A film about love, life and humanity. Watch the video message of the directors here!

“Marona’s Fantastic Tale” / Director: Anca Damien (Romania, France, Belgium, 2019, 92 min, OV with English subtitles) also of the AniMovie Competition 2020 about Marona, a mongrel dog who was hit by a car. She is still in a state of shock when she feels her soul slowly rise and leave her body. She sees cars racing by and roaming over her lifeless body, while Solange, her current last mistress, sheds crocodile tears for her.
>> Can only be watched in Germany!

A real cult-movie ist he feature film „Mary & Max“ by Adam Elliot (Australia, 2008, 92 min, OV in English with German subtitles) as a mixture of “Wallace & Gromit” and “Harold & Maude” a suitably advertised clay animation film, which will also be streamed at OnlineFestival+ With wit and warm-heartedness as well as a sharp eye for detail the story of two deeply sad characters is told, who find joy in life through their friendship with each other.

The hand-drawn animated feature film “Ethel and Ernest” (Director: Roger Mainwood, UK 2016, 94 min, Nominee AniMovie ITFS 2017, OV in English) is based on the book by renowned British author and illustrator Raymond Briggs and tells the true story of Briggs’ parents Ethel and Ernest – two ordinary Londoners living in a time of extraordinary events and social upheaval. From the 1920s with its social stratification to the moon landing in 1969, the film shows decisive moments of the 20th century.

The film “Wrinkles” / Director: Ignacio Ferreras (Spain 2011, 90 min, AniMovie winner ITFS 2012, OV with English subtitles) is a rousing portrait of the friendship between Emilio and Miguel, two elderly gentlemen who were deported to a nursing home. The newcomer Emilio has Alzheimer’s in the early stages and is saved by Miguel and his colleagues from ending up on the dreaded top floor of the home. Their wild plan lends a good dose of humour and tenderness to their otherwise boring daily routine.

AniMovie winner of 2016 “Psychonauts, the forgotten children” / Director: Pedro Rivero, Alberto Vázquez (Spain 2015, 75 min, OV with English subtitles) tells of Birdboy and Dinky, two teenagers who decided to flee their island after a natural disaster: Birdboy’s plan is to simply withdraw completely Dinky, on the other hand, takes flight and wants to set off on a dangerous journey – hoping that Birdboy will accompany her after all. Pedro Rivero also gives an Master Class in our free live-stream on May 8, noon.
>> To Facebook Event 

AniMovie winner of 2015 “Beyond Beyond” / Director: Ebsen Toft Jacobsen (Sweden, Denmark 2014, 78 min, recommended from 6 years, German Version) about Johan, who for as long as he can remember, he and his father lived by the sea. At least he was three and his mother disappeared. Johann is good at diving and is a talented mechanic. He helps his father repair the ship. One day Johan receives a distress call on the radio with a note about his mother’s whereabouts…

The free live stream on OnlineFestival.ITFS.de on 7 May (Focus France from 8 pm) we show “A Monster in Paris” am 7. Mai / Director: Bibo Bergeron (France, 2011, 90 min, German Version) about a strange creature that terrifies Paris of the year 1910 The culprits are Emile, a shy projectionist, and the crazy inventor Raoul. They created the creature by mistake. So the two friends go on a monster hunt to make up for their mistake. During their surprising adventure they make the acquaintance of the beautiful and warm-hearted singer Lucille.

Young Animation – the next generation of the animated film scene
From South Africa, to China, Japan, the USA and Europe: about 60 films by students from all over the world show the spectrum of current animated film production.
>> Filmlist

Tricks for Kids – Animated Films For Kids
Wether Ron Dyens‘ „Melting Heart Cake“ (France, 2019) or Verena Fels’ „Tobi and the Turbobus“ (Germany, 2019) the competition category “Tricks For Kids” leaves the hearts of animated film fans beats faster – whether young or old. Media-pedagogical accompanying material is offered for selected films.
>> Filmlist

Trickstar Nature – Films for the environment and nature
In the new competition category “Trickstar Nature”, which shows films that deal with the environment and nature, well-known studios such as Folimage mit „Northern Lights“ (France, Switzerland, 2019) oder der Kurzfilm POLARBARRY-LET’S BREAK THE ICE!!-VLOG#207 by Wouter Dijkstra (Netherlands, Great Britain, 2019).>> Watch his Video Message here!
>> Filmlist

This access to the OnlineFestival+ costs 9,99€ once and can be bought from 5th May on OnlineFestival.ITFS.de. The access ends on 10 May with the festival.

Der Beitrag The on-demand programme OnlineFestival+ from 5 to 10 May 2020 erschien zuerst auf ITFS - Internationales Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart.

Der Beitrag Best of ITFS-Tour erschien zuerst auf ITFS - Internationales Trickfilm-Festival Stuttgart.