9th Student Academy Award for Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg

A second consecutive Student Academy Award for the Animationsinstitut of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg: Matthias Strasser and his team have been honoured for the graduation film THE PANIC INSIDE.

This is FABW’s ninth Student Academy Award overall, making the film school the most successful one outside the USA in this competition.

Those who can’t say no easily lose themselves in self-exploitation: director and screenwriter Matthias Strasser strikes a chord with his animated short film THE PANIC INSIDE, and has impressed the judges of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: The film will receive one of the three 2026 Student Academy Awards in the Animation category at the 53rd Student Academy Awards ceremony.

For the second year running, a diploma project of the Animationsinstitut at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (FABW) has been recognised with this prestigious award for emerging filmmakers. In 2025, director Tobias Eckerlin received the Gold Medal, the highest honour, for A SPARROW’S SONG. This year’s Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 14 September 2026, taking place for the first time at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

In THE PANIC INSIDE, Matthias Strasser tells the story of Jacob, a chronic people-pleaser, who breaks down under the pressure of constant expectations and finds himself in a surreal liminal world. There, he is forced to confront his own needs. By combining 2D and 3D animation with live-action elements, this visually outstanding film explores themes of self-care, setting boundaries and personal freedom.

The Student Academy Awards, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, are among the most prestigious awards for student film productions worldwide. Nearly 3,000 productions were submitted for the 2026 edition. Among the finalists in the ‘Animation’ category were two productions from FABW´s Animationsinstitut: THE PANIC INSIDE and SEND NUDES directed by David Sick.

A brief overview of the eight films that preceded THE PANIC INSIDE:

ROCHADE (1998) directed by Thorsten M. Schmidt

With dark humour, director Thorsten M. Schmidt tells the story of married Richard (Max Herbrechter), who sends a doppelganger to his colleagues' carnival party so that he can spend some quiet time with his lover. But the doppelganger takes a liking to his role.

NIMMERMEER (2007) directed by Toke Constantin Hebbeln

Toke Constantin Hebbeln, who hails from Itzehoe, tells a fairy-tale story about the power of dreams in his short film, which is set in a fishing village in northern Germany. A boy loses his father, he is bullied and being punished by a clergyman. Salvation comes in the form of a magician who opens up the world of fantasy to him.

OF DOGS AND HORSES (2012) directed by Thomas Stuber

Thomas Stuber's black-and-white film is about Rolf, a man without money, and his suffering dog Piet: Rolf's old four-legged friend's hip problem could be fixed for € 3,000. Rolf puts all his eggs in one basket and takes his last money to the racetrack.

THE LAST WILL (2015) directed by Dustin Loose

Jakob Adler fulfills his mother's last wish and seeks out his biological father, whom he has never met before - because his dad has been in a secure psychiatric ward for more than 25 years for killing his brother. Before the fateful encounter, Jakob consults the attending physician to reveal the true extent of the family tragedy.

GALAMSEY – A FISTFUL OF GOLD (2017) directed by Johannes Preuss

As a young development aid worker, Johannes Preuss witnessed the gold rush in Ghana. Years later, he returned as a filmmaker and shot a revealing documentary about legal and illegal gold mining (Ghanaian: “Galamsey”), the bloody conflict between the police and the miners, and the environmental destruction coming along with the digging.

THE BEAUTY (2020) dirrected by Pascal Schelbli

Pascal Schelbli dazzlingly showcases the natural wonder of the ocean in his social spot, but a dancing school of fish turns out to be a microplastic vortex, plants on the seabed disposable tableware, jellyfish plastic bags, and dolphins plastic bottles. THE BEAUTY is a powerful statement on the issue of global littering.

TALA’VISION (2021) directed by Murad Abu Eisheh

In the part of Syria occupied by ISIS terrorists, little Tala never misses a soccer game on TV - until one day the Islamists ban television. The girl dresses up as a boy and looks for a replacement on the street. Amman-born Murad Abu Eisheh filmed in Jordan with Syrian refugees as actors and consistently kept the camera at Tala's eye level.

A SPARROW’S SONG (2015) directed by Tobias Eckerlin

Tobias Eckerlin‘s 3D animated film is inspired by a true story: an elderly widow rediscovers her joy in life during World War II through an unexpected connection with an injured sparrow. Eckerlin’s work is a moving homage to the human ability to find hope even during difficult times.