Just a few days left until the start of the 14th Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film 2007 (April 26 - May 01).

The good things remain. The Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film is still one of the world’s largest and most important festivals for animated film. In five competitions the festival will show what has been achieved internationally in the field of animated film during the course of a year – with films from internationally renowned professionals as well as talented newcomers and with everything from TV-series to feature-length films.

Stuttgart’s Grand Prix. The Festival’s Grand Prix with a cash prize of 15,000 Euros, donated by the city of Stuttgart and the state of Baden-Württemberg, will mean that for the first time there will be one clear winner at the festival. It is also the first time the festival is taking place on its new yearly basis. This annual cycle has not affected the number of film submissions: approximately 1,600 films reached Stuttgart.

Award-winning scripts. For the first time this year a prize will be awarded for which there is no European precedent: The German Animation Screenplay Award. 33 scripts for feature-length films were submitted. On April 28 one of them will receive the award with prize money of 5,000 Euros, donated by the Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD).

The little king celebrates. A real world premiere will be taking place on April 30: “Der kleine König Macius” (Little King Macius) will be screened at the cinema for the first time. The well-loved hero of the cartoon series will be up against his greatest enemy as the General aims to take power. Senator Film will be bringing the film to the cinemas in September 2007.

Man against man. Produce an animated film under the watchful eyes of hundreds of onlookers? For most animation artists a nightmare. It is therefore even more of a challenge when coupled with the task of producing a short film within 48 hours. Five teams of two take on each other, live at the festival. The winner of the Red Girl Session 48 H 3D Jam will be announced on Sunday evening at the Young Animation Party.

Professionals pose the money question. The Animation Production Day had a phenomenal start last year. This year the meeting for industry professionals has been extended to two days and is organized by both the Festival of Animated Film and the fmx/07 in cooperation with Michael Schmetz Mediaconsult. Designed to bring the producers of feature-length films together with international sales companies, banks and investors, the APD sets out to improve gap financing and international marketability.

Events galore! Of course our supporting programme also offers a lot of new events ranging from the workshop with Bill Plympton to the screenplay discussion panel on May 1 and the exhibition of the Portuguese animator Regina Pessoa. There are also new programme strands including animated commercials and the series Soundseeing on the subject of Visual Music.

Power to the children. One competition is entirely dedicated to animated films for children: Tricks for Kids. And what is better than a panel made up of children? For the first time six children from Stuttgart will choose the winner – completely without adults. Workshops for children as well as special screenings for schools are also part of the programme for the young fans of animation.

To take home. In time for the festival the first DVD of the Festival of Animated Film will be going on sale. “Best of Animation 1” costs €19,90 and is a collection of the best of last year’s festival. And as the title suggests the best of 2007 will subsequently also appear on DVD.

Welcome to the animation family! The festival is supported by the cities of Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg, by the state of Baden-Württemberg and the Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart (Economic Development Council for the Stuttgart Region). We are delighted to have Südbest as our new Premium Partner along with a host of other new partners with whose help we can further enhance the attractiveness of the festival. We are also co-operating with the VVS – the festival entrance tickets are also valid on local public transport. And we continue to work in close conjunction with many other partners such as the cinemas in Stuttgart’s city centre, the fmx/07 and the MFG Filmförderung.