The Stuttgart International Animated Film Festival 2021 both online and on site

From 4 to 9 May the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (Stuttgart International Animated Film Festival) (ITFS), one of the world's leading animated film festivals, will take place both at various venues in Stuttgart, Germany, and with an extensive online program on OnlineFestival.ITFS.de.

ITFS organizers start the year 2021 with great confidence in the success of the festival. When the 2020 edition was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, a quick rethink was called for. Therefore, ITFS 2020 was one of the first film festivals to be launched as an exclusively online edition with OnlineFestival.ITFS.de and also reached a new target audience. The positive feedback on the new format, both in terms of quality and quantity, has shown that online is an important channel for giving filmmakers a platform and offering fans around the world the opportunity to participate in ITFS, without the need of travelling.

“For ITFS 2021, we hope to return to the current and important core with personal and direct encounters. However, with the new experience gained in 2020, we have planned an expansion for the 28th ITFS with a first hybrid version, ”said Dieter Krauß, ITFS Commercial Director.

Artistic CEO Prof. Ulrich Wegenast noted: “Polls on the online edition of ITFS last year clearly showed that both the industry and the public would like to see a continuation of the online section with its media center and opportunities. streaming ".

Whether it's movie buffs, families or professionals, ITFS offers both on-site and digital options for every target audience, the choice is up to visitors. This is also reflected in the different types of tickets that will be available on www.itfs.de from mid-February. For the public there are festival passes: HYBRID, ONSITE or ONLINE +. For the industry, ITFS offers HYBRID and ONLINE PRO accreditation.

The planned onsite events (on-site events) depend on the development of the pandemic. From now on, film screenings and events such as workshops and presentations will be held in Innenstadtkinos, on Schlossplatz and other locations. Part of the GameZone, including the games exhibition “Wonderwomen - Women in Games & Animation” at the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart and GameZone Kids at the Jugendhaus Mitte, will take place on site with additional online activities in the free section of OnlineFestival.ITFS.de. Additionally, most of the entries from the ITFS 2020 contest that could only be shown online last year will be screened in theaters in 2021.

For all those who cannot be on site or prefer to access the ITFS program from home: there is free live streaming on the already established OnlineFestival.ITFS.de platform, to bring the atmosphere of the Festival on Schlossplatz to the web. Opportunities for families, children and film enthusiasts complete the OnlineFestival Free program.

With the paid system ONLINE+ access, live streaming or viewing on demand of the films in competition and a support program will be available. Statements from the personal director provide insights into the ideas and stories behind the films.

ONLINE PRO at OnlineFestival.ITFS.de offers professionals, in addition to on-site school and studio presentations, the opportunity to participate online in workshops and live presentations from renowned studios. Paid access includes the entire ONLINE + film program.

Among the highlights of the year's on-site and online programming:

"Creating * Diversity" (“Creation * diversity”) is the motto of ITFS 2021, underlining that artistic media such as animation and games not only represent aesthetic and social diversity, but also create it from concept to production and distribution.

With "Copines!", ITFS 2021 will also focus on France as a partner country that has developed a diverse and successful animation scene, especially over the past 30 years. Selected directors, studios and universities will present and celebrate the great nation of animated film at the ITFS.

"Wonderwomen - Women in Games & Animation" takes up a relevant topic that had already been examined 25 years ago at the ITFS with a program by curator Jayne Pilling (founder of the British Animation Awards), and thus allows a discourse on how the situation of women in animated films has changed since then , what new artistic positions have emerged and what role women play in the gaming industry. The curators of 2021 are Waltraud Grausgruber, Gerben Schermer, Stephan Schwingeler and Judith Ackermann.

Running concurrently with ITFS, twin event FMX (May 4-6) will present an entirely online edition this year. On the theme "Reimagine Tomorrow", the organizers have already scheduled a speech by Florian Gellinger on the evolution of RISE Visual Effects Studios (Dragon Rider, Stowaway), a special focus on Beyond the Moon with director Glen Keane, a short film spotlight on Mila with Cinzia Agnelini (Head of Story & Director, Cinesite) and an examination of the effects of creatures in Monster hunter. Tickets will go on sale on February 15th on fmx.de.

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