Studying abroad

We see mobility as an individual measure towards specific international careers and networks. The International Office is the central point of contact for all students when organising the mobility year, participating in excursions and workshops and for productions in an international environment.

There is also the International Class (ICLA) with students from our partner institutions. The ICLA participants enrich the campus year after year with new perspectives and stories. The International Office also organises several excursions and workshops each year, often with the support of external partners.

MOBILITY YEAR

After the undergraduate studies, students have the opportunity to take a mobility year.
This additional year, which takes place between the undergraduate and diploma studies, enables students to gain a wide range of international experience, both at home and abroad. The mobility year comprises two semesters and offers the opportunity to spend semesters abroad, workshops, jobs and research trips or a combination of these elements. The International Office supports students in developing the best strategies for their goals.

After the mobility year, they start their bilingual project studies with valuable international experience, ready for the undergraduate diploma and diploma projects in intercultural teams.

The Filmakademie currently has agreements with the following universities:

- AFDA - The South African School of Motion Picture, Live Recording and Live Performance
- Al-Quds University, Ramallah, Palestine
- Beijing Filmakademie, Beijing, China
- Dodge College, Orange County, California
- ESAV, Marrakech, Morocco
- Free SZFE, Budapest, Hungary
- FTII, Pune, India
- Gobelins l'école de l'image, Paris (Animation)
- INCINE, Quito, Ecuador
- Kibbutzim College, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Korea National University of Arts, Seoul, Korea
- La fémis, Paris, France
- La Salle, Barcelona, Spain (Animation)
- Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri
- Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME), Budapest, Hungary (Animation)
- MOPA, Arles, France (Animation)
- NTUA, National Taiwan University of the Arts
- The Animation Workshop, Viborg, Denmark (Animation)
- The Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations in the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin (Advertising film)
- UCLA Extension, Los Angeles, California (Commercial film)
- Universidad de Valparaiso, Chile
- Universidad del Cine, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Traveling Without Moving

The “International Class” consists of 18 students from our partner universities and takes place every year in the summer semester. The interdisciplinary curriculum is open to participants from the Filmakademie in their mobility year, who can become part of this multinational creative team on campus.

They attend courses with international lecturers, take part in leisure events and develop new projects under the guidance of mentors. The exchange with students from all over the world broadens their personal perspective and provides access to a global network.

Free Mover

For intensive research trips or immersive cultural experiences, students choose the “Free Mover” option. Within two semesters, they travel independently to places of their choice, to broaden their creative horizons.

Guest students at universities with which the Filmakademie has no agreements are also possible in this model.

International Work Experience

During the mobility year, students can also train international skills, while earning money at the same time.

This practical experience helps them to present themselves better on the international labour market and can also be helpful in financing another component of the mobility year.

Workshops

A series of workshops completes the palette of possibilities. The Hollywood Workshop offers rare insights into the business and creative world of Hollywood; the Indian Cinema Workshop introduces students to the rich film culture and industry of India; the Nollywood Workshop produces an annual film in Nigeria with a team of Filmakademie students and young professionals on location; and in the Fiction Alexa programme, students develop and shoot a third-year film at the French film school La fémis.

Indian Cinema Workshop
Hollywood Workshop
Nollywood Workshop
La fémis: Fiction Alexa

Indian Cinema Workshop

Since 2018, an annual excursion of 12 students from all disciplines has been organised to the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune. The three-week trip is supported by the BWS plus programme of the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung and includes a profound introduction to Indian cinema as well as a week full of visits to film sets and production companies in the “Bollywood” film metropolis in Mumbai. In the winter semester, FTII students visit the International Class of the Filmakademie in return.

Hollywood Workshop

The Hollywood Workshop Los Angeles familiarises a group of Filmakademie students with the working methods of American studios. The focus is on script development, project development, packaging, production and marketing. For each year group, the University of Southern California (UCLA) develops a study plan according to the individual composition of the group. Teachers come from studios, production companies, TV stations and UCLA itself.

Students must apply to participate. This is only possible for enrolled Filmakademie students in their diploma year. 12 students will be nominated for the scholarship after a successful selection process by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation and the VGF. Six of them will receive the “Baden-Wuerttemberg-STIPENDIUM for Film Production” from the Baden-Württemberg Foundation. Six participants from the production department will receive a scholarship from the VGF.

Nollywood Workshop

The main objective of the programme is to cross-fertilise ideas from two distinct ecosystems and expose students to alternate film industry models. Nollywood film industry is an audience-driven content production and distribution business. The main characteristics are self-financing, entrepreneurial, lean budget, fast-paced filmmaking, guerrilla production process, but less quality.

On the other hand, the German film industry is widely financed by the public sector or, some would say, through taxes. Their main characteristics are high production quality, methodical filmmaking, and a more organised production process, but certain limitations go along with this approach just as well.

La fémis: Fiction Alexa

Each academic year, a team of students from the Filmakademie at the French national film school La fémis makes a short film lasting around fifteen minutes. The production takes place in the third-year film production cycle at La fémis. A six-person team (director, script, camera (2x), editing, production) from Ludwigsburg will apply together. Part of the application consists of an exposé of a story to be realised in Paris. The students will then be supervised there together with the local students. Pre-production and production of the film will take place from the beginning of September until shortly before Christmas, with post-production then taking place at the Filmakademie. The programme concludes with the joint presentation of all films, which usually takes place in April of the following year.

The programme costs are covered by the Baden-Württemberg STIPENDIUM's special film production line. These include the production budget, the costs of support at La fémis and the cost of renting a flat in Paris for the duration of the programme. Scholarships are awarded exclusively in the form of these benefits in kind.

Applications are open to Filmakademie students who are in their second year of study at the time of the call for applications.

Indian Cinema Workshop

Indian Cinema Workshop

Since 2018, an annual excursion of 12 students from all disciplines has been organised to the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune. The three-week trip is supported by the BWS plus programme of the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung and includes a profound introduction to Indian cinema as well as a week full of visits to film sets and production companies in the “Bollywood” film metropolis in Mumbai. In the winter semester, FTII students visit the International Class of the Filmakademie in return.

Hollywood Workshop

Hollywood Workshop

The Hollywood Workshop Los Angeles familiarises a group of Filmakademie students with the working methods of American studios. The focus is on script development, project development, packaging, production and marketing. For each year group, the University of Southern California (UCLA) develops a study plan according to the individual composition of the group. Teachers come from studios, production companies, TV stations and UCLA itself.

Students must apply to participate. This is only possible for enrolled Filmakademie students in their diploma year. 12 students will be nominated for the scholarship after a successful selection process by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation and the VGF. Six of them will receive the “Baden-Wuerttemberg-STIPENDIUM for Film Production” from the Baden-Württemberg Foundation. Six participants from the production department will receive a scholarship from the VGF.

Nollywood Workshop

Nollywood Workshop

The main objective of the programme is to cross-fertilise ideas from two distinct ecosystems and expose students to alternate film industry models. Nollywood film industry is an audience-driven content production and distribution business. The main characteristics are self-financing, entrepreneurial, lean budget, fast-paced filmmaking, guerrilla production process, but less quality.

On the other hand, the German film industry is widely financed by the public sector or, some would say, through taxes. Their main characteristics are high production quality, methodical filmmaking, and a more organised production process, but certain limitations go along with this approach just as well.

La fémis: Fiction Alexa

La fémis: Fiction Alexa

Each academic year, a team of students from the Filmakademie at the French national film school La fémis makes a short film lasting around fifteen minutes. The production takes place in the third-year film production cycle at La fémis. A six-person team (director, script, camera (2x), editing, production) from Ludwigsburg will apply together. Part of the application consists of an exposé of a story to be realised in Paris. The students will then be supervised there together with the local students. Pre-production and production of the film will take place from the beginning of September until shortly before Christmas, with post-production then taking place at the Filmakademie. The programme concludes with the joint presentation of all films, which usually takes place in April of the following year.

The programme costs are covered by the Baden-Württemberg STIPENDIUM's special film production line. These include the production budget, the costs of support at La fémis and the cost of renting a flat in Paris for the duration of the programme. Scholarships are awarded exclusively in the form of these benefits in kind.

Applications are open to Filmakademie students who are in their second year of study at the time of the call for applications.