This year it features director Roland Emmerich, a look back at Softimage, an exploration of stop-motion, and a live VFX Notes podcast with Ian and Hugo!
FMX 2026 in Stuttgart is coming up fast! The event runs from May 5th to 7th in Stuttgart with an online and campus day on May 8th. Get your tickets here.
Once again, I’ll be running the Then & Now track at FMX. And this year it is HUGE! It features a 30th anniversary retrospective on Independence Day with director Roland Emmerich, a deep-dive into the history of Softimage, a fun exploration of stop-motion and a very special exclusive VFX Notes LIVE podcast episode with me and Hugo.
Check out the details below:
30 years of Independence Day with director Roland Emmerich
König-Karl-Halle, Wednesday, May 06, 18:15
Roland Emmerich returns to his home town Stuttgart to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Independence Day. Emmerich’s blockbuster hit, which received the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, combined large-scale miniature work, practical creatures and explosions, cloud tanks, and early digital compositing, setting a new benchmark for disaster spectacle and influencing countless effects-driven films that followed. In this keynote session at FMX with befores & afters journalist Ian Failes, Emmerich will reflect on his own career in filmmaking, share untold stories from the making of Independence Day, and discuss its key place in visual effects history.
Untold stories about the start of Softimage
Bertha-Benz-Saal, Thursday, May 07, 10:00
Réjean Gagné was there at the early days of the groundbreaking and beloved 3D tool Softimage. So, how was the tool developed? How did it find a user base, especially at ILM where it came to be used on seminal VFX projects such as Jurassic Park? How did things evolve from there? Réjean and visual effects journalist Ian Failes from befores & afters will guide us through this early history of Softimage with stories you might never have heard previously, plus a look at how Softimage’s architecture was engineered. Are you an old (or even current!) Softimage user? This presentation will also be highly interactive and we look forward to discussing the tool’s history, quirks and usage stories with you.
“Stop Motion Guerrilla Style!”
Bertha-Benz-Saal, Thursday, May 07, 11:15
Andy Kaiser, Director, will break down his journey into filmmaking, including on his stop-motion animated film The Lighthouse Keeper, which was produced in VistaVision both on analog 35mm 8-perf. motion picture film and digitally in large format.
VFX Notes Podcast Live! What’s the best VFX shot in history?
Bertha-Benz-Saal, Thursday, May 07, 12:30
Join the hosts of VFX Notes—Hugo Guerra and Ian Failes—for a special live and interactive VFX Notes podcast recording at FMX, where we will debate the greatest VFX shot in history. Be part of the audience to weigh in on the debate as we break down the greatest visual effects shots to ever be made, and come up with the ultimate winner. Audience members will also be in the running for special prizes, including magazines, books and VFX courses. What shot will it be? Find out in our LIVE podcast recording!
