FABW provides "Ludwigsburg Impulses"

impetus for competitiveness of the media and creative hub in southwestern Germany

In the year before state elections, Baden-Württemberg's economy is under considerable pressure. Although the state remains one of Europe's strongest economic regions, its economy, which has traditionally been heavily dependent on automotive manufacturing, must reinvent itself in order to remain a player in the Champions League in the future. Against this backdrop, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, managed by its director, Dr. Andreas Bareiß, has drafted a creative industry and location policy paper.

For the full version ofthe paper (German language) please click HERE.

In the concept presented, the Filmakademie outlines six areas of action. The aim is to strengthen the competitiveness of Baden-Württemberg's media and creative industries in the long term, to secure and expand high-quality training and production capacities, to create new jobs and to increase regional value creation.

In addition to securing the existing position of excellence in training and in the animation and VFX industry in the greater Stuttgart area, the proposed package of measures focuses on substantially strengthening the Media and Film Society (MFG) – with a significant increase in funding and a far-reaching reform of the funding mechanism based on foreign production incentive models.

“I am counting on the democratic parties to recognize the transformative power of the media and creative industries. The need for transformation in Baden-Württemberg has never been as urgent as it is today. But rarely before have the opportunities been as great as they are now. I would like to see an open dialogue on how we can become even stronger together,” said Dr. Andreas Bareiß.

FABW is therefore inviting guests to the first Ludwigsburg Dialogue this fall. This is a media and location policy panel discussion on the Filmakaademie campus with representatives from politics and the creative industries. The discussion will focus on how Baden-Württemberg can be sustainably strengthened as a media and creative location.

Dr. Andreas Bareiß: “Bavaria will always be a little louder, Berlin a little flashier. But what sets our state apart is that when we tackle something, we do it thoroughly. Baden-Württemberg is a strong state. Let's use this strength now, join forces, and together lead Baden-Württemberg to a leading position in the media and creative industries.”

FABW was founded in the early 1990s together with the Medien- & Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg (MFG) as a driving force for media development in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is considered one of the best educational institutions for film and media worldwide. With its Animationsinstitut, the Atelier Ludwigsburg-Paris, and the annual industry conference FMX - Film & Media Exchange in Stuttgart, Europe's most important conference for animation, VFX, and interactive media, the Filmakademie has been setting standards ever since. Its graduates are among the most successful film and media professionals nationally and internationally. At the end of May, director Mascha Schilinski won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for her feature film “IN DIE SONNE SCHAUEN” (Sound of Falling). The screenplay was written by Mascha Schilinski and Louise Peter, another FABW alumna, during their studies in Ludwigsburg. Numerous other alumni of the Filmakademie were involved in the production. The Filmakademie and its alumni also excel in the fields of games and animation. For example, the game “THE BEAR – A STORY FROM THE WORLD OF GRA” won the German Computer Game Award in 2024. The animated film “A SPARROW'S SONG” is currently nominated for the BAFTA Student Awards 2025.