Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS): 2012–2019 Coverage

 The following is a compact summary of articles previously written at Zippy Frames about the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS), highlighting the festival's competitions, awards, special programmes and broader artistic and academic activities during this period.

2012 — 19th ITFS

The 19th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, held from 8–13 May 2012, presented more than 1,000 animated films. The International Competition included prominent shorts such as Grant Orchard's 'A Morning Stroll', Wendy Tilby and Amanda Forbis's 'Wild Life' and Theodore Ushev's 'Nightingales in December'. The AniMovie feature competition included 'A Monster in Paris', Hiroyuki Okiura's 'A Letter to Momo', Ignacio Ferreras's 'Wrinkles' and Jean-François Laguionie's 'The Painting'. The festival also explored the renaissance of silhouette animation, with programmes devoted to Bruno Böttge and Michel Ocelot, while Hungarian animation received a national focus. Raoul Servais and Georges Schwizgebel were among the filmmakers featured in the festival's In Persona series.

Music was another area of recognition: 'The Painting', directed by Jean-François Laguionie, received the SACEM Award for Best Music in an Animated Feature, recognizing Pascal Le Pennec's score. Meanwhile, the Animated Com Award highlighted applied animation in advertising, technology and spatial communication, demonstrating ITFS's increasingly broad conception of animation beyond conventional filmmaking.

2013 — 20th ITFS

The 20th anniversary edition, held from 23–28 April 2013, combined competitions with a substantial academic and interdisciplinary programme. In cooperation with the Society for Animation Studies, ITFS hosted the symposium 'Change and Continuity: Interdisciplinary Aspects of Animation, Comics and Literature', examining relationships between animation, graphic novels, literature and adaptation.

The festival's Grand Prix went to Emma de Swaef and Marc James Roels's 'Oh Willy...', while Ryo Okawara's 'A Wind Egg' received the Lotte Reiniger Promotion Award. Hisko Hulsing's 'Junkyard' won the Audience Award and the Estonian 'Breakfast on the Grass' received the student-film prize. Benjamin Renner, Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar's 'Ernest & Celestine' won the AniMovie Award for Best Animated Feature. The edition attracted around 80,000 visitors, confirming Stuttgart's position as one of Europe's major animation events.

2014 — 21st ITFS

The 21st ITFS continued to connect finished films with animation in production. One significant strand was its Works in Progress programme, where filmmakers and producers introduced four forthcoming animated features and discussed their creative and production processes. 

The edition also maintained ITFS's strong commitment to applied animation through the Animated Com Awards, encompassing advertising, technological applications and spatial communication. 

2015 — 22nd ITFS

The 22nd Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film placed particular emphasis on Spain and the relationship between comics and animation. Spain was the guest country, with filmmakers, studios and educational institutions presenting contemporary Spanish animation. Stop-motion filmmakers Anna Solanas and Marc Riba participated, while a historical programme revisited pioneer Segundo de Chomón and his contribution to early stop-motion cinema.

A second major theme examined the interaction between comics and animation, extending ITFS's longstanding interest in animation's relationship with other visual and narrative arts. The festival's identity was also communicated through its 'FilmFabrik' trailer, continuing the tradition of specially produced festival visuals and animated promotional films.

Applied animation remained prominent. The Animated Com Award recognized work in advertising, technology and spatial communication, with Arnaud & Jérôme's 'League of Legends: Warriors' receiving the main prize. The awards also included distinctions connected with mobility and technological communication, emphasizing the increasingly porous boundaries between animation, advertising, games, design and digital media.

2019 — 26th ITFS

By its 26th edition, held from 30 April to 5 May 2019, around 2,000 films and projects had been submitted to its competitions, while the festival expected approximately 100,000 visitors, 2,500 industry professionals, more than 200 events and screenings of around 1,000 films. Its connection with Animation Production Days and FMX further positioned Stuttgart as ameeting point between animation, visual effects, games and the wider media industries.

A strong European focus reflected ITFS's longstanding relationship with Creative Europe MEDIA. The programme included the 'Trickfilm für Europa' initiative and the presentation of Shadi Adib's winning film 'Ode'. At the same time, the festival increasingly explored animation's intersections with other disciplines. 'She Blinded Me With Science – Science, Games and Animation' investigated relationships between animation, games and the natural sciences through screenings, exhibitions and discussions.

Music and immersive media formed another important strand through a new conference examining pop culture, VR, digital music distribution, animation and video-game culture, accompanied by concerts and masterclasses. The GameZone, occupying approximately 2,000 square metres, presented games, VR experiences, interactive installations and work from educational institutions.

Our Current ITFS Coverage