25.04.2025

Nine FABW Students Awarded Germany Scholarship:

EN | Awards

Nine FABW Students Awarded Germany Scholarship:

Financial Support for Studies Provided by Donors and the Federal Government

This year, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg has awarded nine Germany Scholarships — a record for the Ludwigsburg-based film school. At a time when funding is shrinking in many areas, these scholarships underscore the importance of supporting young talent. All recipients have distinguished themselves through outstanding achievements and exceptional commitment.

Germany Scholarship: A Success Story Since 2011
Since the introduction of the Germany Scholarship in 2011, Filmakademie has been part of this nationwide programme aimed at supporting talented students. Each scholarship provides a monthly, income-independent allowance of €300, enabling recipients to focus fully on their studies. Funding is equally shared between private donors and the Federal Government.

This year, fourth-year students from all departments of FABW and its Animationsinstitut were eligible to apply. Among the programme’s long-standing supporters are Kreissparkasse Ludwigsburg, a consistent contributor since the initiative's inception, and Ludwigsburg resident Gabriele Kuhn, who has been passionately committed as a private donor for six years. This year, new partners have joined: Constantin Film, bKV Gesundheit, and JOURNAL Frankfurt have expanded the network of supporters.

When awarding the scholarships, not only excellent grades but also social engagement, exceptional personal achievements, and social and familial circumstances were considered. This holistic understanding of achievement is a key part of the Germany Scholarship’s philosophy, aiming to provide educational opportunities to young talents.

The following students will receive a Germany Scholarship in 2025:

•    Constanza Schmidt, International Producing – SERU Animation
•    Annchristin Valerie Böhm, Screenwriting – Gabriele Kuhn
•    Amina Rosa Krami, Directing/Feature Film – YTF Young Talent Foundation
•    Kavindu Sivarajha, Cinematography – City of Ludwigsburg
•    Fiona Quint, Directing/Documentary – YTF Young Talent Foundation
•    Lahiru Madushanka Senevirathna, Editing – Kreissparkasse Ludwigsburg
•    Sofie Hirschmüller, Screenwriting – Constantin Film
•    Leonard Rottok, Directing/Documentary – JOURNAL Frankfurt
•    Sebastian Schmitt, Film Sound/Sound Design – bKV Gesundheit

The 2025 Germany Scholarships at Filmakademie were made possible through the support of the following eight donors:

•    Kreissparkasse Ludwigsburg
•    bKV Gesundheit, Wiesbaden
•    Gabriele Kuhn, Ludwigsburg (private individual, in memory of Rudolf Kuhn)
•    Constantin Film, Munich
•    JOURNAL Frankfurt
•    SERU Animation GmbH & Co. KG, Ludwigsburg
•    City of Ludwigsburg, Department of Economic Development
•    YTF Young Talent Foundation Berlin gGmbH

The certificates were presented to the scholarship holders by the donors on 24 April 2025 at FABW in Ludwigsburg, during a get-together held prior to the Caligari Award Ceremony.

The Germany Scholarship is a valuable contribution to fostering creative talent. Filmakademie extends its heartfelt thanks to all supporters and looks forward to continuing to accompany young filmmakers on their journey.

Photo: FABW/Anja Fellerhoff

Profiles of the Donors

(listed alphabetically)

bKV Gesundheit
bKV Gesundheit promotes health and prevention in companies in order to increase their cost efficiency, minimise sick days and reduce staff turnover. Its strategy focuses on modern health programmes and sustainable strategies. These approaches reflect contemporary corporate management that attracts and retains young talent. bKV sees parallels between the health and creative industries in terms of prevention, sustainability and future orientation.
It focuses on preventive healthcare and early support, similar to how the scholarship promotes creative talent at an early stage. bKV's commitment to employee health and the promotion of young creative people is based on its comprehensive social responsibility. With the scholarship, bKV Gesundheit strengthens the loyalty of young talent to the industry – analogous to employee loyalty in companies.
bKV Gesundheit has been dedicated to employee health since 2017. Its goal is to promote health, which provides employers with valuable economic and ecological advantages. The company's central themes are sustainability and modern corporate management.
https://bkv-gesundheit.com

City of Ludwigsburg, Economic Development Department
The Economic Development Department is the central point of contact for entrepreneurs, founders, start-ups, craftsmen, creative professionals and people interested in Ludwigsburg as a business location. It advises on all matters relating to Ludwigsburg as a (creative) business location. Ludwigsburg's creative business scene is one of the special features that characterise the location. Particularly noteworthy are the areas of film, animation/VR/AR/games, communication and advertising agencies, design and IT. It is the central point of contact for all creative professionals in Ludwigsburg and those who would like to come to Ludwigsburg.
https://www.ludwigsburg.de/start/wirtschaft+und+innovation/wirtschaftsfoerderung.html

Constantin Film
Constantin Film has been synonymous with quality and success for 75 years. It has played a crucial role in establishing German cinema both nationally and internationally. Between 1979, when Bernd Eichinger established the company, and today, Constantin Film has emerged as the most successful independent production and distribution company in the German media industry. Constantin Film's operations include German and English language motion picture theatrical production, theatrical distribution, home entertainment distribution, licensing and television production.
Constantin Film's diverse slate includes box office hits and award-winning films alike, ranging from comic book to literary adaptations, historical dramas, action and genre, among them THE NEVERENDING STORY, THE FANTASTIC FOUR film franchise, THE NAME OF THE ROSE, NOWHERE IN AFRICA, DOWNFALL, PERFUME: THE STORY OF A MURDERER, THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX, POPE JOAN, THE HOUSE OF SPIRITS, FACK JU GOEHTE 1-3, three of the biggest ever German box office hits, the RESIDENT EVIL film franchise and the upcoming Gore Verbinski directed GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE.
www.constantin.film

Gabriele Kuhn
I have lived in Ludwigsburg since 1996. I soon had a good connection to the film academy through various personal contacts. Since my retirement, I have been involved in various areas for people on the fringes of society. What I like about the Deutschlandstipendium,
... that it supports gifted students,
... that my donation is doubled by a ministry,
... that I support a school (FABW) that has been doing excellent work for 30 years, which is reflected in numerous national and international awards,
... that I can remember my late husband with the Rudolf Kuhn Scholarship.

JOURNAL Frankfurt
JOURNAL Frankfurt is a leading city magazine, providing comprehensive coverage of daily news and in-depth reports on urban life, a diverse selection of cultural events from music, art, film and theatre, as well as a wide range of gastronomy and nightlife in Frankfurt/Rhine-Main. The associated magazine Kino JOURNAL has a partnership of over 30 years with all 12 Frankfurt cinemas and many film distributors in Germany.
www.journal-frankfurt.de

Kreissparkasse Ludwigsburg
As a regional credit institution under public law, Kreissparkasse Ludwigsburg is uniquely connected to the district of Ludwigsburg, its people, communities, institutions, companies and SMEs. We see our special contribution in our comprehensive range of services for all people in the district, our involvement in public life, the promotion of encounters and dialogue as well as activities in the areas of culture, sport, science and business. We act sustainably - economically, ecologically and socially. The Kreissparkasse has been supporting German scholarships at universities in the district for many years and has in the meantime provided a total of around € 70,000 for these 39 German scholarships.
www.ksklb.de

SERU Animation
SERU Animation is a leading animation production company specializing  in the creation of animated films and TV series. With its headquarters  in Ludwigsburg and an independent creative team and studio in Hanover,  SERU offers end-to-end production services  for European and internationally financed projects, with a commitment  to high creative and qualitative standards. Under the leadership of founder and managing director Sebastian  Runschke, SERU is also committed to social and environmental  sustainability in producing high-quality animation. https://seru-animation.comis a leading animation production company specializing  in the creation of animated films and TV series. With its headquarters  in Ludwigsburg and an independent creative team and studio in Hanover,  SERU offers end-to-end production services  for European and internationally financed projects, with a commitment  to high creative and qualitative standards. Under the leadership of founder and managing director Sebastian  Runschke, SERU is also committed to social and environmental  sustainability in producing high-quality animation.
https://seru-animation.com

YTF Young Talent Foundation Berlin gGmbH
The YTF Young Talent Foundation Berlin (YTF Berlin), founded in early 2022, is a non-profit organisation aiming to financially support young film talent in Germany of all nationalities. Founder and managing director Armin Schneider also mentors the supported talents ideally with his network and the industry knowledge gained from a career of over 30 years in marketing international cinema successes.  
www.ytfberlin.de

Tags: