A new academic year is about to begin: FABW and ADK welcome their students in Ludwigsburg!

Opening guest Henry Selick | renowned stop-motion director
— Kick-off of the campus opening week with “Radical Daughters”
Workshops on the topic of action art – Leading dialogues

This week marks the start of the new academic year 2024/25 for students at the Academy of Performing Arts Baden-Württemberg (ADK) and the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg (FABW), along with their Animation Institute. On Monday, Prof. Ludger Engels (Artistic Director and Managing Director of the ADK), Prof. Thomas Schadt (Director of the FABW), and Dr. Jan Pinkava (Head of the Animation Institute) welcomed the new first-year students on the ADK stage. The collaboration between the academies during the semester opening week strengthens cross-campus relationships between students across all disciplines, fostering connections that encourage creative work, discourse, and innovation.

This year, the FABW and ADK had the honor of welcoming renowned director Henry Selick to Ludwigsburg for the opening of the winter semester. A celebrated figure in stop-motion animation, Selick's work has captivated audiences for over three decades. In his opening speech, Selick inspired the students: “This is your time to dive deep, experiment, learn, live, and do great stuff.” He also gave an overview of his career milestones and answered questions from the audience.

Known as a “Hollywood outsider,” Selick has crafted unique and unconventional films throughout his career. His works often feature a dark, unsentimental tone, with protagonists who take on rebellious, non-conformist perspectives. Through his uncompromising creativity, Selick’s films maintain their artistic integrity. His most famous films include The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Coraline (2009), and his most recent, Wendell and Wild (2022). Over the next two days, Selick will share more about his career through lectures and mentoring sessions with students at the Film Academy.

Following this, a four-day opening workshop for first-year students at ADK and FABW will be led by the collective "Radical Daughters." Last year, students explored political action art with the group, a success that will be built upon this year. Led by Josephin Haardt and Johanna Koetter, the workshop will focus on topics such as diversity of opinion, tolerance of ambiguity, and the courage to engage in meaningful dialogue. "Radical Daughters" is known for its bold and innovative forms of political participation, with workshops on political action art, artistic activism, aesthetics, and impact. Their work centers on preserving the core values of our democratic society while addressing the ecological challenges of our time. The workshop results will be presented internally.