Press Release #4

FMX 2023
Film & Media Exchange
On Site April 25-27, 2023
Online April 28, 2023

Stuttgart, March 2, 2023. FMX 2023 continues to have a look at both past achievements and brand new developments: The THEN & NOW track highlights practical visual effects and stop motion animation, while the N.E.W.S. track spotlights upcoming productions by outstanding animation filmmakers, including animation producer Manuel Cristóbal (BUÑUEL IN THE LABYRINTH OF THE TURTLES) with the project THE GLASSWORKER, the first hand-drawn animated film from Pakistan. TV shows will also be part of the program: a talk on the Netflix show THE SANDMAN will focus on the VFX highlights of the adaptation of the successful graphic novel written by Neil Gaiman. In addition, further companies as well as educational institutions have confirmed their participation in the FMX Forum - and Foundry, Maxon and ASUS have just joined FMX as Silver Partners. Online ticket sales continue for the entire Conference and Forum program; however, the Early Bird discount will only be available until March 13. As a long-standing partner event, the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) will present an insight into its upcoming 30th anniversary edition.

Confirmations for FMX 2023

Manuel Cristóbal (BUÑUEL IN THE LABYRINTH OF THE TURTLES) discusses THE GLASSWORKER + Alex Dowding zooms in on APOLLO 10 ½ + Juan Pablo Zaramella (LUMINARIS) talks about his creative process        

FMX 2023 presents an outstanding series of sessions with leading creative talents from around the world. Award-winning feature animation producer Manuel Cristóbal (WRINKLES, BUÑUEL IN THE LABYRINTH OF THE TURTLES, LOST IN GALICIA) will discuss his current collaboration with director Usman Riaz on his new feature THE GLASSWORKER. Amsterdam-based studio Submarine are known for their innovative work on high-profile hybrid animation projects, notably Richard Linklater's APOLLO 10 1/2 and acclaimed TV series UNDONE; Producer Alex Dowding will focus on APOLLO 10 1/2 specifically. FMX is also delighted to welcome back inspiring stop-motion director Juan Pablo Zaramella from Argentina. His acclaimed short film LUMINARIS has won over 324 awards and is a favorite with festival audiences everywhere. Juan Pablo is currently working on a new feature film I AM NINA. These sessions will showcase the exciting creative possibilities of bringing together talents and studios from many different locations, exploring a diverse range of animation techniques. Feature animation veteran and international talent consultant Shelley Page introduces this series of presentations.

Georgina Hayns (PINOCCHIO) spotlights Puppet Manufacturing + Jeffrey Okun shares practical VFX know-how    

How can animation and visual effects be achieved using practical means? Two THEN & NOW sessions, curated and moderated by Ian Failes (befores & afters), will present milestone innovations in old-school areas of filmmaking. Puppet fabrication supervisor Georgina Hayns, whose filmography includes Guillermo del Toro’s Academy Award®-nominated PINOCCHIO and several LAIKA films, discusses how puppets for stop-motion animated films are designed, built and rigged using traditional mechanical mechanisms as well as 3D printing. Visual effects can also be tackled practically: 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 will look at tricky and joyful moments in the VFX creation process.

Matt Kavanagh & Natacha Pianeti on Untold Studios' work on Netflix-series THE SANDMAN

Untold Studios' VFX Lead Matt Kavanagh and VFX Artist Natacha Pianeti offer a whistle stop tour through the making of some of the Netflix hit show’s most memorable sequences. Untold Studios worked on over 360 shots on what is one of the most successful Netflix shows ever, showcasing an incredibly diverse range of VFX techniques in the process. From an engulfing hell portal scene, to transforming Stephen Fry into a meadow and hundreds of CGI photoreal, painterly cats for the Annie nominated bonus episode, 'A Dream of a Thousand Cats’. The pair will share behind the scenes access to the plethora of tools and techniques used to bring the show to life, explaining the creative process, their challenges and experiences in a VFX 101 style talk.

Forum News

Numerous companies have meanwhile booked further Workshops or confirmed their participation in the Marketplace - and the education sector was in great demand as well: The School Campus is now fully booked. Here you will find Forum partners and universities that have not yet been announced:

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 provides 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 areas of 2D and 3D design, motion graphics, VFX, and visualization.

ASUS: ProArt from ASUS offers laptops, desktops, displays, projectors, mainboards and accessories tailored to artistic needs.

30th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS)

With the motto "Animation connects!”, ITFS invites everyone to Stuttgart from April 25 to 30, 2023, to celebrate the 30th edition together. Audiences can look forward to new competition films or enjoy one of the various best-of programs. The festival also looks ahead into the future, with topics such as artificial intelligence. One program is dedicated to the country in focus: South Africa. Accreditations can be obtained at the reduced early bird rate until March 15.

More information: https://www.itfs.de/en.