Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH (FABW) is sharpening its profile as an internationally leading institution for education and research in film and media: with the establishment of the new Carl Laemmle Institute (CLI), the academy will consolidate its activities in artistic-technological research, digital innovation, and forward-looking production methods.
The centrally anchored institute within the Filmakademie will be headed by Professor Volker Helzle, who has long served as a key driver at FABW’s Animationsinstitut, where he coordinated research and development. Under his leadership, the institute is set to function as an interdisciplinary platform for applied research and development and to foster knowledge transfer between art, science, and industry.
About the Carl Laemmle Institute (CLI):
The Carl Laemmle Institute (CLI) consolidates the research and development activities of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg GmbH (FABW) into a centrally embedded research and development department and serves as a key interface between education, applied research, and industry partnerships. The institute emerges from the former research and development department of FABW’s Animationsinstitut and advances its work structurally, conceptually, and strategically.
The institute’s research fields include, among others, virtual production methods, extended reality, AI-supported creative and production processes, cross-innovation, new forms of human–machine interaction, as well as sustainable and resource-efficient production models for film, games, and immersive media.
With the naming of the institute, FABW deliberately connects to the legacy of Baden-Württemberg–born pioneer Carl Laemmle. In 1912, he founded the film studio Universal Pictures in Los Angeles, played a decisive role in the rise of Hollywood, and significantly shaped the international film industry. The reference to Laemmle stands for a spirit of innovation, visionary entrepreneurship, and the courage to create new structures for creative work. At the same time, it underscores the institute’s ambition to rethink film as a cultural, technological, and social force—with an international perspective and openness to radically new ideas.
About Prof. Volker Helzle:
After studying at Stuttgart Media University and gaining initial professional experience in Los Angeles, Volker Helzle joined Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in 2003 to establish the research and development division at the Animationsinstitut. Since 2013, he has been an adjunct professor.
His work on tools for facial animation led in 2007 to one of the earliest realisations of a virtual actor. Volker Helzle played a key role in shaping the postgraduate programme in Technical Directing (TD), which focuses on the technological challenges of animation, VFX, and transmedia productions. As a programme advisor, he is involved in organising the annual Stuttgart conference FMX.
In addition, Volker Helzle has successfully attracted a substantial number of regionally and European Union–funded projects in the fields of animation, VFX, virtual production, and immersive media to FABW.