Program highlights include feature film animation competition, screenings, film talks, and free live-streams; notable speakers include Oscar-nominated ‘Wolfwalkers’ director Tomm Moore and David Silverman, director of ‘Extinct.’
This year at ITFS 2021 the AniMovie competition will show a diverse selection of animated feature films for all audiences, including many German films as well as an international premiere. The event will feature talks about the making of films, including director Tomm Moore discussing his Oscar-nominated Wolfwalkers, and noted ‘The Simpsons’ director David Silverman discussing his upcoming animated feature, Extinct. Both the festival’s opening and award ceremonies will be captured and streamed for viewing. An overview of the ITFS program, with direct links to the individual events, is provided in the online calendar.
AniMovie competition:
City of Lost Things (Yee Chih-Yen, Taiwan 2020) – International premiere
- 16-year-old Leaf meets Baggy, a 30-year-old plastic bag, and together they must fight the dreadful army of the Armors.
Strike (Trevor Hardy, UK 2019) - German premiere
- The story about Mungo Morrison, a young mole who secretly dreams of becoming a professional footballer.
Calamity (Rémy Chayé, Denmark/France 2020)
- 12-year-old Martha Jane on her way to the Wild West has to take charge of her siblings; and after a theft she must prove her innocence.
Petit Vampire (Joann Sfar, France/Belgium 2020) - German premiere (Joann Sfar, France/Belgium 2020)
- Little Vampire dreams of going to school to meet other kids. Unfortunately, his parents won't let him leave the mansion! Accompanied by his trusted bulldog Phantomato, he secretly sneaks out on a quest for new friends.
You Animal! The Nimfa Dimaano Story (Avid Liongoren, Philippines 2020) - German premiere
- A perfume sales-kitty experiences amorous-trashy adventures with two men before she emancipates herself from the male world to do her own thing.
AniMovie special program:
Le voyage du prince (Jean- François Laguionie, Xavier Picard, France/Luxembourg 2019) - The AniMovie Award winner of the ITFS 2020
- The film tells the story of an old prince who runs aground on an unknown shore. Injured and lost, he is found by young Tom and taken in by his parents, two scientists who have been exiled from their community because they dared to believe in the existence of other monkey civilizations.
ILa prophétie des Grenouilles (by Folimage founder Jacques-Rémy Girerd, France 2003)
- It rains forty days and forty nights – the world has experienced a flood like this before, and now it is happening again. The frogs, who have prophesized the approaching catastrophe, attempt to warn the humans.
The AniMovie feature-length films can be viewed via OnlineFestival+; the program is available here.
ITFS free live stream feature-length films:
Die kleine Zauberflöte (Curt Linda, Germany 1997)
- An animated adaptation of the Mozart operetta about the adventures of Prince Tamino and his companion Papageno, who set out together into the realm of day to free the beautiful Pamina – and Lisa Limone.
Lisa Limone and Maroc Orange – A rapid Love Story (Mait Laas, Estonia 2013)
- The fruitier version of Romeo and Juliet as an operatic extravaganza.
Feature films in talks:
Friday, May 7 - 5 pm - OnlineFestival Pro
- Director Tomm Moore will give insights into the Oscar nominated film Wolfwalkers (Ireland/Luxembourg/USA, 2020) in a lecture, followed by a Q&A
Saturday, May 8 - 6 pm, OnlineFestival Pro
- Silverman will discuss the The Simpsons and Extinct, the new film he directed from 2018 to 2020. Written by Simpsons writers Joel H. Cohen, Rob Lazebnik, and John Frink, and co-directed by fellow Simpsons’ colleague Raymond Persi the film is about an unknown species – Flummels. Silverman will present behind-the-scenes production material and discuss the process of bringing this film to the screen.
Monday, May 3 - 3 pm - OnlineFestival Pro (free)
- Telescope Animation Studios CEOs and founders Reza Memari (director and writer) and Maite Woköck (producer) will share insights on the development and financing of The Last Whale Singer, an animated feature film project. The franchise also includes a TV series and a game.
More workshops and presentations in OnlineFestival Pro can be seen here.
Gala glamour live on screen:
Tuesday, May 04, 7 pm
Opening Gala will be hosted by TV presenters Markus Brock and Franziska Glaser will guide you through the evening and present the highlights of the 2021 Festival pro- gramme. The makers of the competition films, which will be shown during the opening, will be connected live. Guests will be digitally connected or live in the studio and include Winfried Kretschmann, Prime Minister of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, and Frank Nopper, the new Lord Mayor of the city of Stuttgart.
Saturday, May 8 - 7 pm
At this year’s Tricks for Kids awards ceremony the children’s jury will present their winners of the day and the winning film from the Tricks for Kids short film competition. The magical host Alexander Merk accompanies the children’s’ jury and the audience with his magic tricks through the colorful animated film show.
Friday, May 7 - 6 pm
Winners of the German Animation Screenplay Award, the Animated Games Award Germany and the Trickstar Business Award will be honored in the joint Trickstar Professional Awards Ceremony. Host of the gala presented in English language is Anja Lange.
Sunday, May 9 - 7 pm
At the Awards Ceremony of the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film 2021, the winners of the film competitions (FANtastic Award, SWR Onlinefilm Audience Award, AniMovie, Trick- star Nature Award, Young Animation, Lotte Reininger Promotion Award for Animated Film, and the Grand Prix) will be honored in a ceremony hosted by Markus Brock and Franziska Glaser. Studio guests include State Secretary Petra Olschowski and Stuttgart’s Mayor Fabian Mayer.
Sunday, May 09 - 5 pm (pre-recorded)
Free ITFS live stream - The award ceremony of the music competition New World Classic Animation Award, which is aimed at animation students and graduates at international institutions of higher education for film, art and the media and honors the best use / the best implementation of music in an animated short film.
For additional program information and to purchase tickets, click here.
Source: ITFS
