FAQ

The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film is organised by Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH. We act on behalf of the shareholders City of Stuttgart, Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart, and the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (for the state of Baden-Württemberg). A total of around 20 employees work on the festival together with many other service providers, supporters and volunteers.

Every year in spring, the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film shows current animated short and feature-length films from all over the world for a week. The films are shown in several competitions and are honoured with awards. A special characteristic about a film festival is that you can not only watch films, but also get to know the filmmakers.

In the Special Programme, we also show films by individual artists and on specific topics. Every year there is a focus, which means you can get to know the animation scene of a country, e.g. Ireland, South Africa or Switzerland. In addition to the films, there is also an extensive range of workshops and hands-on programmes for families and children.

There is also animation in the GameZone: here you can play games that have been nominated for the Animated Games Award Germany. And at the Open Air Schlossplatz, you can enjoy a free film programme or get active at the various stations.

No! Animated films can make things visible where live-action film reaches its limits. Animators, directors, sound technicians, etc. give free rein to their creativity and create new worlds using a wide variety of techniques. Animation is not only shown in cinemas, but is also used in television and advertising as well as in video games, design, architecture and science.

Yes! As a filmmaker or professional, by submitting your film, game, screenplay or project. But you can also help out during the festival week: We are always looking for volunteers to support us – be it in the cinemas or at the Open Air Schlossplatz. We also advertise internship positions during the festival. Just check the website regularly or subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date.

The ITFS screens short films (from a few minutes until half an hour), which are shown together within one screening, and feature-length films (60 minutes or longer). As the films are made by filmmakers from all over the world, they often have original language and English subtitles.

The focus of the ITFS is on artistic animated film. Which means that the films are often challenging – both in terms of subject and style. Particularly in the competitions, the films deal with social or political issues, refer to current events or deal with personal stories. But there are also humorous and entertaining films.

The styles and techniques are just as varied: stop-motion with handmade puppets, drawing and painting, 3D animation, artificial intelligence – there are no limits to the artists’ ingenuity when it comes to animation.

Of course! They are among our most important guests. Filmmakers are present at the screenings of the films in the competition and talk about their approach in a moderated Q&A. There is also a follow-up discussion to each competition programme, the Filmmakers’ Talks in the Festival Centre. International directors, producers and animators are also present at other events such as premieres and provide insights into their work.

In the calendar, you will find all events organised by the ITFS – both during the festival week and events throughout the year, such as the Animation Special, the Animation Tour and the Animation Lounge.

We will publish the festival programme gradually from around the end of February. As soon as the first events are online, you can click on a button to jump directly to the festival period and view the festival dates.

Calendar functions

• Search: You can search for specific dates and events (but not for individual films).
• Timetable: Instead of a chronological view, you can also view the dates in a planner and compare dates for the same period in different locations.
• Favourites: Want to save individual events? Then you can mark them with a heart. Use the heart slider at the top of the calendar to view all your favourites in a list. You can also share this list with friends and family using the ‘Share favourites’ function at the bottom left – clicking on the button copies a URL to the clipboard, which you can then forward.
• Filters: Here you can filter events by target group, format, price, location and much more.
• Events and films: When you click on an event, you will see an overview with all the important information about the event and you can also see which short films will be shown. You can also expand this to see more information about each individual film.

Accredited industry guests will have access to the Animated Video Market and can watch the films in competition for up to three months after the festival. Visitors with a Festival Pass or single tickets can only watch the films at the cinema.

Each year, each competition has its own jury consisting of international professionals. They watch the films in the cinema during the festival week and evaluate them.

Every year in September, the Call for Entries is launched: filmmakers from all over the world are invited to submit their films. A preselection jury watches all the films, selects for the competitions and compiles the film programmes. Read about the exact process here.

The cinema screenings for the ITFS International Competition, the ITFS Student Competition and the ITFS Trickstar Nature Award are only accessible from the age of 18. The feature-length films in the ITFS AniMovie Competition each have their own age rating. The films in the ITFS Tricks for Kids Competition have different age ratings.

The Open Air Stuttgart’s Schlossplatz offers animation for everyone!

Film screenings:
During the festival week, from wednesday to sunday, free short and feature-length films will be shown on the large LED screen.

Special atmosphere:
Make yourself comfortable in front of the screen and enjoy the moderated programme.

Activity Area:
Around the Schlossplatz you will find partner and activity offers with catering and interactive workshops to join.

Yes, because we want everyone to get a taste of the festival atmosphere. We bring the ITFS to the city centre and screen great animated films for everyone outside the cinemas.

The films will be screened in all weathers. As we all know, there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. So wrap up warm – and waterproof – and make yourself comfortable in front of the LED screen. You won’t be alone there, we promise!

If you’ve got any questions about the festival and the programme, you can contact our information points on Schlossplatz and in the Gloria Passage at any time.

Any child between the ages of ten and twelve can apply for the ITFS Children’s Jury and – like the big juries – award a prize.

The filmmakers will be present at the cinema screenings. Here you have the opportunity to ask them everything about a film production.

If you would like to make your own animated film, you can try it out in our animation, games and sound workshops. They take place at the weekend during the festival week on various topics. Pre-registration is required.

But there are also various free hands-on activities at the Open Air Schlossplatz – from wednesday to sunday during the festival week. The ITFS Family Day also takes place on sunday with great films and activities.

The films submitted to the ITFS Tricks for Kids Competition are viewed by a preselection jury and compiled for the cinema programme. The jury is made up of filmmakers and media educators. They make sure that the programmes are suitable for a specific age group.

Yes – foreign-language films are translated live into German in the cinema. The Q&A session with the filmmakers will be translated by the moderators.

A parent or guardian is welcome to accompany the child to the cinema. The film programme is also fun for adults! The animation film workshops with fixed times and pre-registration are exclusively for children.

To find out which events are free of charge, you can easily filter them in the event calendar. All other tickets are listed here:

Single ticket: Valid for a specific screening.

Day ticket: Ideal if you want to attend several cinema screenings on one day

Festival Pass: Gives you unlimited access to all screenings throughout the festival.

If you are part of the industry, we recommend an Accreditation. In addition to unlimited access to all screenings, you can participate in the industry programme and get access to the Animated Video Market.

You can purchase all ticket options both online and on site. Single and day tickets as well as the Festival Pass can be purchased at the ticket counter in the Gloria Passage. Accreditations can be purchased at the Welcome Desk in the Festival Centre (Haus der Katholischen Kirche).

You can pay for tickets online using all common payment methods. On site, payment is possible in cash or by card.

Student groups receive a 10% discount on Young Professional Accreditation and day tickets. These can also be purchased online in our ticket shop. Professors receive a € 30 discount on their accreditation. For events for daycare centres and schools, the entire group can be registered. The organizational fee per child is paid in cash on site, and accompanying people have free admission.

Festival Passes can be picked up at the Ticket counter in the Gloria Passage.

Accreditations can be picked at the Welcome Desk. The exact opening hours and the address of the Welcome Desk and Ticket counter, can be found here.

Please show your ticket PDF, which we have sent to you by e-mail or bring the document printed out with you.

Please note that there is no admission guarantee for some special events on site. You will receive all information about the registration process for the events concerned in an email in time before the festival.

Festival Passes and Accreditations are personal and non-transferable. Festival Passes and Accreditations must be worn visibly on site and presented to ITFS staff upon request.

No, cancellation and refund is not possible for already purchased Festival Passes and Accreditations.

In addition to purchasing season tickets (Festival Passes, Accreditations), it is also possible to purchase single tickets and day tickets from the beginning of April.

The privacy policy (as well as the general terms and conditions of the Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH (FMF) for the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) can be viewed via the link before purchasing the ticket. Ticket holders are obliged to confirm and accept these terms and conditions during the purchase process.

Tips on how to get there can be found here for more information.

Festival Passes grant access to the events listed in the ticket category on site during the festival week (5.5.2026–10.5.2026) subject to availability of free seats. Excluded are special events that require a separate invitation. The overview of events can be found beginning of march on the ITFS Website.

To purchase a Festival Pass Discounted, you must be a pupil, student or senior citizen or be in possession of a severely disabled pass. Purchasers of Discounted Festival Passes are required to present valid proof (for example severely disabled pass) of the reduction when picking up the pass on site. When purchasing a Festival Pass Discounted, validation is done by entering the college, university or school. For senior citizens, validation is done by date of birth.

Accreditations grant access to all events on site during the festival week (5.5.2026 – 10.5.2026) subject to availability of free places. Excluded are special events that require a separate invitation. The overview of events can be found beginning of march on the ITFS Website.

Accreditations allow access to the Animated Video Market 2026, which provides a platform for all cinematic entries submitted to the ITFS 2026 competitions and is aimed exclusively at the professional audience entitled to purchase industry accreditation as per 2.

The Animated Video Market 2026 streaming platform will be available from 5.5.2026 – 5.8.2026. If registered for during the ordering process, your login details (username and password) will be sent to you in a separate email by the start of the festival. For orders after 5.5.2026, please understand that the receive of the login data can take up to one week. For purchased FMX/ITFS COMBI PASSES, the login details will be sent likewise as mentioned above (Notice: no extra reservation during the ordering process).

In order to acquire an Accreditation, you must belong to the professional audience from, for example, the following areas: Production (Film/TV/Video/VFX/Games), Directing (Film/TV/Video/VFX/Games), Other. Film professionals (camera, screenplay, sound design, games publisher), sales agent, distributor/world sales, university, film institute/film association, film funding, festival, cinema or agency.  When acquiring accreditation, proof of current professional activity as a representative of the film industry must be presented (link to social media profile or website). If the proof of industry affiliation is invalid, the accreditation can be withdrawn retroactively.

Press Accreditation is exclusively for the reporting press. For this purpose, your press card or, alternatively, an order from the editorial office will be accepted. For this purpose, please indicate the medium for which you write / work when purchasing your ticket. In the first step you can register and pre-register for press accreditation. After successful verification, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with your ticket. Please note that the process can take up to three business days.

If you would like to attend FMX and ITFS, you may also purchase a COMBI PASS. The COMBI PASS ITFS+FMX allows you to attend both events. All further information and ticket purchase can be found here.

As a pass owner (Festival Pass or Accreditation, no Free Passes) we can guarantee you a seat in the evening screenings in Gloria 1 (8:30pm) and IC4 in Cinema on Friday (8pm), as long as there is seating capacity available. For this, a reservation for a seat with your individual code is necessary. If the reservation is not needed anymore, we ask you for a cancellation. The seat is to be taken 15 minutes before the screening, so please be on time. As a matter of fairness, we can then offer the seat to the next waiting person interested in the screening.

As an owner of a Festival Pass or Accreditation you receive an E-Mail before the Festival with your individual code and instructions on how you can reserve a seat. In case you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to contact us: freivpr@srfgviny-tzou.qr

Instructions