The APD Talent Programme supports young European producers and creatives from the field of animation who want to realise their own project idea. Its aim is to bring newcomers into contact with established industry experts. In pre-scheduled one-to-one meetings, the talents receive valuable feedback on their projects and have the chance to convince potential co-production and financing partners of their ideas.
The participants will be accompanied by an experienced APD curator before and during the event.
- European graduates from universities and film schools with animation as their main field of study
- Young professionals & company founders (up to 35 years of age)
- Applicants are required to have a registered address in one of the 27 EU-member states or in a country associated with Creative Europe MEDIA (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, the Republic of Serbia, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine)
A maximum of 2 people per project can apply to participate. One of them should be a producer. The author / scriptwriter, creator, director, head of animation or any other member of the creative team is also welcome to apply. It is not possible to register additional project representatives after the deadline for application has passed.
- TV series, TV specials, feature films, games, mobile content, cross and transmedia animation projects (incl. hybrid formats containing at least 50% animation)
- short film projects, but only if they can be further developed into other formats
- projects should be at concept and development stage
- they should be suitable and open for European co-productions
- they should have the potential for IP (Intellectual Property) development and for European and international distribution
We are particularly looking forward to receiving projects that convincingly integrate topics such as diversity and ecological sustainability, both in terms of content and in their development and realisation.
The following information, texts and files are necessary for an application:
- Basic data on the company incl. company profile or, if individuals are applying, a personal profile (max. 800 characters).
- Contact information for the company / project representatives you would like to register for the APD Producer Programme
- Project details (title, project participants, format, genre, animation technique, target group, etc.)
- Financing details (budget, partners)
- Synopsis (max. 500 characters)
- Personal statements on the project by the director / producer (USP of the project, visual concept, cross or transmedia strategy etc.) (max. 900 characters)
- Text for “What are we looking for at APD?” (max. 300 characters)
We require all texts and information in English.
Documents:
- Photos of the applicants (300 dpi at 3x4cm, jpg or tif).
- At least 2 illustrations / film stills of the project (without text elements, landscape format,1079 x 685 px; 91 x 58 mm, jpg, RGB, 300 dpi)
- Overall project PDF (e.g. incl. concept, bible, filmographies, track records etc.) containing all information, you want to present to the selection committee (optional, max. 20 pages, 15 MB)
If you already have a trailer/teaser (not required) to share with the selection committee please send an access link via e-mail to info@animationproductiondays.de.
A maximum of 8 projects will be selected to participate in the APD Talent Programme.
The selection results will be announced on 23 February 2024 at the latest.
The selection committee’s decision is based on the following main criteria:
- Originality and creativity in terms of content and design
- Openness and suitability for cross-border collaborations
- Potential for the European / international market
Furthermore, we aim for at least 50% of the participants in the Talent Programme to be women.
Special attention is given to projects promoting sustainability, inclusion and diversity on the content level and the production side and to projects from EU countries that have a low audiovisual production capacity.
APD Talent Programme participants receive a free accreditation for APD, which includes:
- Talent Kick-Off Meeting
- Participation in the APD Co-Production and Financing Market – one-to-one meetings
- Participation in the APD Conference & Roundtables
- Participation in the Talent Speed Pitch
- A ticket for the 31st Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film 2024
- A ticket for the FMX – Film & Media Exchange
- E-catalogue with information on all participating companies and all selected projects
- Access to the APD Online platform including a personalised schedule of pre-planned one-to-one meetings
- Networking lunches & dinners, coffee breaks with free coffee & tea
- Accommodation in Stuttgart for up to 4 nights