(various, 2024, various, 70 minutes)

The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) is one of the largest and most important festivals for artistic animated film in Europe and worldwide and it is an Oscar-qualifying film festival.

Outstanding films tell grand stories or shed light on small everyday moments. Their creators dare to explore new grounds – whether through their personal family tales or innovative animation techniques and visual worlds. Who has ever seen dancing bin bags, or an entire film drawn on toilet paper? Best of ITFS presents this and more – including award-winning films from the International Competition, the Student Competition and the Trickstar Nature Award 2025.

Please note: This program contains material that is not family-friendly.

Co-presented with St. Louis Filmworks.

Butterfly (Papillon)

directed by: Florence Miailhe // France 2024 // 15:00 // producer: Ron Dyens // production, world sales: Sacrebleu Productions

As a man swims in the sea, memories come to the surface. They take us from childhood pools to swimming pools, from North Africa to the shores of the Mediterranean, from Olympic stadiums to water retention basins, from a concentration camp to the beaches of Réunion.

Note: This film deals with traumatic experiences and anti-Semitism.

The Wild-Tempered Clavier

directed by: Anna Samo // Germany 2024 // 7:20 // producer: Thomas Bergmann // production: Tiger Unterwegs Filmproduktion // world sales: SND Films

An artist insists on playing, despite the world’s disasters. A story inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach’s immortal music and painted onto toilet paper rolls as a tribute to the tradition of drawing directly on 35mm film.

Mountain Mountain

directed by: Ben Tan, Grace Cheu // Singapore 2024 // 7:09 // producers: Ben Tan, Grace Cheu // production, school: Nanyang Technological University, School of Art, Design and Media // world sales: Miyu Distribution

Charlotte and Valerie ride a cable car up Mount Faber in search of mountains in Singapore. What they find is more than they were looking for.

Joko

directed by: Izabela Plucinska // Czechia, Germany, Poland 2024 // 15:45 // producers: Grzegorz Waclawek, Piotr Szczepanowicz // production: Animoon // world sales: KFF Sales & Promotion

Joko is a young man supporting his entire family on a dead end factory job. One day on his way to work, someone jumps on his back, and orders him to transport them around the city. At first, he rebels against this humiliation but relents under peer pressure and the promise of money.

Note: This film contains depictions of violence.

The Self and the Other

directed by: Chen Ma // United Kingdom 2024 // 5:56 // production, school: Royal College of Art // producer, world sales: Chen Ma

An experimental film inspired by Jean-Paul Sartre’s play “No Exit”. Through abstract visuals, the film delves into Sartre’s theory of the Self and the Other and creates a perceptual game where the power of interpretation lies with the audience.

Playing God

directed by: Matteo Burani // France, Italy 2024 // 9:00 // producers: Arianna Gheller, Nicolas Schmerkin // production: Studio Croma, Autour de Minuit // world sales: Autour de Minuit

A clay sculpture depicting a human comes to life in the darkness of a workshop, surrounded by strange creatures …

Note: This film contains depictions of violence.

Pear Garden

directed by: Shadab Shayegan // Germany 2024 // 7:00 // producer: Shadab Shayegan // production, school und world sales: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg

Six-year-old Lily visits her grandmother who after a mastectomy doesn’t have breasts anymore. At night Lily meets her grandma’s shadow that has breasts indeed. Lily follows the shadow and tries to get them back for her grandmother.

The Refusers

directed by: Wiep Teeuwisse // Netherlands 2024 // 2:31 // producer: Nienke Deutz // world sales: Miyu Distribution

There is a pile of rubbish on a street corner. An old mattress shares why it was thrown out, and the other discarded items join in. A newspaper is picked up by the wind and dances in the light of a street lamp. A spec tacle full of singing and dancing unfolds.