Stuttgart’s animation festival rolls out the red carpet — and the puppets

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Stuttgart’s animation festival rolls out the red carpet — and the puppets

ITFS 2025 kicks off with stop-motion magic, German pride, and a €3,000 shot at AniMovie glory

STUTTGART ANIMATED FESTIVAL

MUMBAI: Germany’s biggest animation celebration just hit play. On 6 May, the 32nd edition of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) opened to a packed house at Gloria 1 cinema, with directors Heike Mozer and Annegret Richter welcoming audiences alongside cultural top brass and civic cheerleaders.

"I believe the creative industries have a key role to play in shaping the future of our region. This is where new ways of thinking are born, where creatives constantly bring forth fresh ideas — and where new jobs are created. This is especially true for the field of animated media,” said state secretary of culture Arne Braun. “The Stuttgart Animated Week — with the International Festival of Animated Film, the FMX Conference, and the Animation Production Days — is our showcase to the world. And at the same time, a magnet for talent, visionaries, and international decision-makers. Animation, VFX, and games are no longer just about entertainment.”

He underscored animation’s rising influence in shaping both jobs and geopolitics. The Baden-Württemberg region, he noted, has seen its animation and VFX industries treble in number and multiply turnover eightfold since 2010.

The evening capped off the launch of Stuttgart Animated Week, a triple-bill celebration spanning ITFS, Animation Production Days, and the FMX Conference. The result: a one-stop shop where art meets commerce, and craft meets code.

New in 2025: an earlier awards ceremony on 10 May, giving the public a chance to see winning films before heading home. 

 “With the big awards ceremony moving to Saturday night, we’re creating a fresh dynamic for the festival — which benefits all our guests, as we’re able to screen the winning films the next day. With a colourful family programme, we’re turning the festival Sunday into a dedicated audience day,” said ITFS managing director Heike Mozer.

This year’s AniMovie competition features six global heavyweights, including Memory Hotel by Germany’s Heinrich Sabl — a labour of love 25 years in the making. The €3,000 prize is sponsored by broadcaster SWR.

“The AniMovie competition highlights the rich variety and artistic ambition of today’s animated features. We’re excited to have a German entry in the running, and we are thankful to SWR for recognising the genre — it’s an important and encouraging signal for the industry,” said ITFS artistic director Annegret Richter.

With Switzerland in focus, a robust delegation of Swiss creators arrived with a showcase of films and a free exhibition from the tactile triumph Sauvages. The festival’s broader spotlight on stop motion strikes a nostalgic chord in a world awash with CGI and AI.

“This year, we’re seeing a noticeable increase in stop-motion and puppet animation, both in competitions and across other festival formats. There’s something compelling about this tactile approach to animation — the attention to craftsmanship, the patience it demands. In today’s fast-paced, digital, and AI-driven world, it offers a welcome contrast and a sense of calm,” Richter noted.

Among the early highlights: Richard Reeves’s experimental short Fusion (Canada), drawn directly onto celluloid with no camera involved, and The Wild-Tempered Clavier by Anna Samo (Germany), a toilet-paper canvas commentary on war, plague, and politics.

With 500+ films, hands-on workshops at Schlossplatz, and a new “Professional Afternoon” for insiders, ITFS 2025 is pulling no punches. 

Animation’s not just having a moment — it’s building a movement.