00. News on ITFS 2020

(Last update: 22^th March)

Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH (FMF) announced the cancellation of the 27^th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS), originally scheduled for 5^th to 10^th of May in Stuttgart, Germany, due to the continuing global spread of the Coronavirus.

The programme for this year’s ITFS has been established so that FMF is planning a digital version of ITFS for the Festival period from 5^th to 10^th May, 2020, to provide a platform for the more than 1,800 films from around the world submitted for competitions.

The 27^th ITFS is planning to be held from 4^th to 9^th May, 2021, in Stuttgart.

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The 27^th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) will be held from 5^th to 10^th May, 2020 in Stuttgart, Germany. ITFS gathers audiences and industry representatives from all over the world to Stuttgart and animation will be everywhere in the city with its extensive programme of films, presentations, exhibitions, and concerts. With this year’s motto, “Creating*Diversity”, ITFS 2020 will focus on diversity itself and asks: “How do animation, games and digital media represent and create diversity?”

Programme Highlights

1. Focus Programme: “Wonder Women – Women in Games & Animation”

To present new and historic positions of female creators and their contributions in animation and games, ITFS 2020 has a special focus programme titled “Wonder Women – Women in Games & Animation”, which is based on the “Women in Animation” programme of ITFS 1996 curated by Jayne Pilling.

• Three short film programmes curated by Waltraud Grausgruber and Birgitt Wagner (festival directors of Tricky Women, Vienna).
• Two film programmes putting the spotlight on female Chinese filmmakers curated by Gerben Schermer.

 “In Persona” section (presentations/retrospectives of the filmmakers & their works)

• A presentation by Monique Renault who has been contributing to delivering animation with issues of eroticism and gender roles to a wider audience.
• A presentation by Regina Pessoa, a Portuguese animation artist who has directed multi award-winning short films such as Tragic Story with a Happy ending (2005) and Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days (2019).
• A exhibiton on the diversity of female game designers’ works and Lynn Hershman Leeson’s interactive artworks at ITFS GameZone curated by Stephan Schwingeler and Judith Ackermann.

Panel discussion and case study

• A panel discussion and case studies contributed by “Women in Animation Germany (AG Animationsfilm)”.

2. Focus Programme: “Copines! Focus on France”

This year’s ITFS country focus is France. The French expressions “diversité“ and “différence” make up the DNA of the idea of Europe as a guarantor and basic condition of democracy, while (free) art is a substantial expression of diversity in practice.

Master Classes

• A Master Class with Benjamin Renner, an Oscar-nominated cartoonist, animator and filmmaker.

ITFMX Screening

• The Oscar nominated multi-award film I Lost My Body (Orignal French title: J’ai perdu mon corps) directed by Jérémy Clapin will be presented by ITFS and FMX joint screening programme.

ITFS Studio Presentations

• Four renowned French animation studios, Folimage, H5, Sacrebleu Productions, and Studio Silex introduce themselves.

Animation academy

• La Poudrière and EMCA present their students’ best works.

3. Film Programmes & Presentations

As part of the core programmes of ITFS 2020, alongside with special formats, many short and feature-length animation films will be screened. Competition entries were from more than 90 countries this year and the prize money amounting to a total of €90,000 is awarded in the various competition sections.

In Persona section

• Screening of the works of Jean-Charles Mbotti Malolo,who has many award-winning films such as Le sense du toucher (2015) and Make It Soul (2018).
• Liu Jian with his film Have a nice day (2017) and Piercing I (2010).

Film programmes in cooperation with DEFA Foundation

• Presenting films by Marion Rasche.

Programmes in cooperation with Popbüro Region Stuttgart in the Music & Animation section

• At the Pop XR event, several speakers discuss the use of digital techniques and media art in live music performances.
• The multimedia Pop XR Party at Club White Noise concludes the day: Media artist Portrait XO from Berlin meets DJ Difracto from Strasbourg.

Tributes

• The works of deceased filmmakers Rosto from the Netherlands and An Xu from China.

Master Classes

• Pedro Rivero(Birdboy and The Platform), Jalal Maghout (Architecture and Animation) and Fermin Muguruza (transmedia project Black is Beltza).

Animation academy

• The first presentation is given by Effat University in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) where animated films are studied and produced exclusively by women.

Cult Night

• Featuring past and recent projects of the US animator, multiple Oscar nominee, and grandmaster of indie animation, Bill Plympton.

Theatre event

• Animeo & Humania, an animated theatreby Theater Marie (Aarau) and François Chalet (Zurich) in cooperation with FITZ! Zentrum für Figurentheater.

4. GameZone

GameZone will take place at Kunstgebäude Stuttgart as the digital playground of various formats, from indie games to VR installations to game jams.

• More than 50 games and VR installations presented on 2,000 square meters.
• A panel talk is planned to present the games-industry initiative “Hier spielt Vielfalt” which is committed to greater diversity in economic structures as well as the non-stereotypical portrayal of people in games.
• “Edutain Me 6.0” panel discussion cooperates with didacta – Die Bildungsmesse: discussions on the implementation of digital media in teaching structures, with a keynote held by representatives of Tinybop, a Brooklyn game studio which primarily develops interactive educational games.