Animation Calling

The 17^th Edition of Animation Production Days Hosts around 900 Business MeetingsAfter an intensive three-day programme, the 17^th edition of Animation Production Days (APD) drew to a close yesterday afternoon. The most important German business platform for newly developed animation projects is a joint venture between the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) and the FMX – Film & Media Exchange and takes place every year alongside its two partner events. A total of 175 participants from 23 countries were accredited for APD this year.

From 26-28 April, around 900 pre-planned meetings took place in the Landesmuseum Württemberg and online, giving producers and creatives the opportunity to present their projects to potential co-production and financing partners. This year, a total of 50 projects were selected for presentation at Animation Production Days. Representatives of the most important German and European TV channels including ZDF, KiKA, WDR, SWR, MDR, NDR, HR, ARTE, Super RTL, BBC, France Télévisions, DR, RTVE, TV3, YLE and large international corporations such as Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, as well as global distributors like ZDF Studios, OneGate Media, Sola Media, Jetpack, Zodiak and many others headed to APD on the hunt for new material and talent and gave the producers feedback on their newly developed projects. A round-table discussion on transmedia (in cooperation with the Polish Kids Kino Industry event), a speed pitching for the eight young talent projects presented at APD and numerous networking opportunities were also part of the programme.

More than 200 visitors attended this year’s APD conference which was entitled “New Voices – New Stories” and took place on the afternoon of Wednesday, 26 April in the rotunda of the L-Bank in Stuttgart. The conference was also open to those with FMX and ITFS industry accreditations.

“I have the impression that the industry’s desire to network and cooperate even more strongly at the European and international level has grown exponentially. The need for discussion is correspondingly large. We have never organised as many meetings at APD as we did this year.”

Marlene Wagener, Head of APD

“I attended APD through the APD Talent Programme to find partners for my TV Series, and found more than I could ask for.“

Shelly Gertan, Creator & Director, Austria

“APD is a platform where producers can present their projects no matter if series or feature films and get immediate feedback for their shows. What I like especially is, that APD is the perfect size, people are very easy to approach and get in touch with.”

Manuela Lumb, Project Scout & Executive Producer, Studio 100 Media

“APD is the most effective, yet relaxed, animation financing forum around.”

Trine Laier, Producer & Director, Those Eyes, Denmark

“I attended APD from the very beginning and over the years it grew from a small format to an international event and I love very much to find so many colleagues, producers, distributors from all over Europe here, many producers from eastern Europe as well and there aren’t many chances to meet them at any other places. APD is really something special. We’ve found some interesting projects this year and we will keep close contact to the producers.”

Stefan Pfäffle, Head of Fiction, KiKA, – The Children’s Channel of ARD and ZDF

As part of the cooperation with the CARTOON European Association of Animation, two German producers have the chance to pitch the project they presented at APD at the CARTOON Forum held in Toulouse in September. The top-two places on the list went to the projects "Just One Day", a TV-special by FelsFilm (Ludwigsburg) and Raumkapsel (Kassel) and "The Sorcerer‘s Apprentice“ a TV-series by bigchild Entertainment (Weimar).

Animation Production Days 2024 will take place from 24-26 April.

Images: www.animationproductiondays.de/press/downloads

Copyright /Credits:

APD23_pic01: Around 900 one-to-one meetings between producers and potential financing and production partners took place during this year’s APD.

© Animation Production Days 2023, Reiner Pfisterer

APD23_pic02: The APD conference took place on 26 April at the L-Bank in Stuttgart

© Animation Production Days 2023, Reiner Pfisterer

About Animation Production Days:

Animation Production Days (APD) is a joint venture between the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) and the FMX – Film & Media Exchange. APD is organised by the Film- und Medienfestival gGmbH in cooperation with the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH.

APD is funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry for Science, Research and the Arts, the MFG Baden-Württemberg Film Fund, the German Federal Fim Board FFA and the Creative Europe MEDIA programme of the EU.