Academic

Henry Selick at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg

ZF Team 28 September 2024

The beginning of the new academic year 2024/25 at the Academy of Performing Arts Baden Württemberg (ADK), the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (FABW) and its Animationsinstitut was marked by a special guest. Henry Selick, the creator of 'The NIghtmare Before Christmas' (1993), 'James and the Giant Paech' (1996), 'Coraline' (2009), and 'Wendell and Wild' (2022), gave the opening speech for the academic year.

In and out of Hollywood, Henry Selicks' stop-motion animation work is characterised by an unsentimental, sometimes disturbing, sensibility, often with rebellious, non-conformist protagonists -still appealing to a wide audience.His two-day sojourn at the Filmakademie was accompanied by his giving further iinsights into his career and share his knowledge in lectures and mentoring sessions.

This is your time to dive deep, experiment, learn, live and do great stuff - Henry Selick.

A retrospective of his works followed, with an audience Q&A.

During campus opening week, the academies (Prof. Ludger Engels - Creative Director and CEO of ADK), Prof. Thomas Schadt - Director of FABW, and Dr. Jan Pinkava -Head of the Animationsinstitut) collaborate in joint workshops and events, strengthening the relationships between students of all disciplines.

Over the following four days, the new students at ADK and FABW will take part in a campus opening workshop, organised by the collective “Radikale Töchter” (Radical Daughters). This year’s workshop is led by Radical Daughters Josephin Haardt and Johanna Koetter and will deal with freedom of speech, tolerance of ambiguity and encouraging dialogue.

“Radikale Töchter” is well known for their effective and unusual form of political participation as well as their workshops on political action art, creative activism, aesthetics and impact. They focus on preserving the values of our democratic society and facing the ecological challenges of our time.