FMX in its 27th edition will be available as a hybrid conference, just as it was last year. The conference will run on-site at Haus der Wirtschaft in Stuttgart, Germany, April 25–28, 2023. FMX will also offer an exclusive online day, April 28, for presentations from around the globe exploring the best of animation, effects, interactive, and immersive media.
The theme of FMX 2023 is “Evolving.” Renowned BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated producer Jinko Gotoh will serve as program chair. Gotoh is devoted to advancing women and all underrepresented people in the industry. She serves as vice president for Women in Animation and is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, representing diversity and inclusion on various committees.
Following the theme “Evolving,” the conference program will focus on the latest developments in the art, technology, and business of animation, visual effects, interactive, and immersive media. Also, FMX will highlight the projects and processes that are addressing the challenges that people and the planet are facing, as the M&E community embraces sustainability in the production processes. Gotoh will work closely with the FMX team and support the upcoming event with fresh impetus and contacts that advance the topic of sustainability in the creative industries. Her strengths and passion include discovering and nurturing diversified creative talent and charting new technologies and creative processes.
Actions do matter, and in keeping with this year’s conference theme, FMX is working to make the conference itself more sustainable. To that end, FMX 2023 staff have announced that the 2023 conference will be officially certified as a climate-friendly event by the KSS Klimaschutzstiftung Baden-Wuerttemberg (KSS Climate Protection Foundation), created to support the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg on its path to climate neutrality. To reduce the carbon footprint of FMX in 2023 and the long run, efforts will be taken toward that goal in multiple areas including at the venue, guest accommodations, catering, and more. For example, the event is easily accessible by public transport and will take place during transport-compatible times. On-site attendees will be provided with free use of public transportation. The venue is further supplied with 100% green electricity and district heating; no outdoor heaters are used. Visitors are also encouraged to book sustainable accommodations while attending the conference. More about FMX’s sustainability efforts can be found on the conference website.
Furthermore, “The Beauty” has been chosen as the official FMX 2023 trailer. “The Beauty” is a project by the Filmakademie’s Animationsinstitut alumni, including Pascal Schelbli (director), Marc Angele (VFX supervisor), Noel Winzen (animation), and Tina Vest and Aleksandra Todorovic (producers). The trailer is described as a poetic journey in an underwater world where plastic waste and nature have melded together.
Also featured in the 2023 program will be the stop-motion films “A Flammable Planet” and “Can’t Negotiate the Melting Point of Ice” for WWF (Nomint), as well as the streaming series “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” (Alchemy), among others.
