{"id":73,"date":"2017-08-11T10:08:48","date_gmt":"2017-08-11T08:08:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stellmach.iostage.net\/?page_id=73"},"modified":"2026-08-25T13:26:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T11:26:40","slug":"thomas-stellmach-biography","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/stellmach.com\/en\/about\/thomas-stellmach-biography\/","title":{"rendered":"Thomas Stellmach – Biography"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column][vc_gallery interval=”3″ images=”17910,17912″ img_size=”full” css=”.vc_custom_1653578206050{margin-bottom: -24px !important;}”][vc_custom_heading text=”Biography” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1786194116990{border-bottom-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-color: #EAEAEA !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1786194259190{margin-top: 16px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]I\u2019m an independent animation filmmaker from Kassel, Germany, specializing in artistic animated short films and animation workshops.<\/p>\n

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Born in 1965 in Straubing, I discovered my passion for painting, model building, and filmmaking at an early age. As a teenager, I received several national awards in visual arts competitions.<\/p>\n

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The groundbreaking visual effects and imaginative storytelling of Star Wars in the 1980s sparked my interest in filmmaking \u2013 especially animation, which allowed me to bring my own ideas to life. In 1982, I began producing my own stop-motion<\/strong> films<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 even before studying at the Kassel School of Art and Design under Oscar\u00ae<\/sup> nominee Paul Driessen<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The stop-motion short film QUEST<\/a><\/strong>, which I created in 1996 during my studies in collaboration with Tyron Montgomery, was awarded the Academy Award\u00ae<\/sup> (Oscar\u00ae<\/sup>) for Best Animated Short Film<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in 1997.<\/p>\n

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After completing my studies at the Kassel School of Art and Design, I founded Lichthof \u2013 Film & Animation Studio in Kassel in 1999. Together with my team, I produced animated commercials<\/strong><\/a> for advertising agencies, television, and music labels. Today, I focus fully on independent artistic productions, animation workshops, and live presentations.<\/p>\n

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Since the early 1980s, I have created independent animated short films that have been shown at festivals worldwide and received over 150 international awards \u2013 from my school years and university studies through to my professional career.\u00a0I use a wide range of animation techniques, including 2D hand-drawn animation, stop-motion, pixilation, 3D computer animation and experimental ink animation, to tell visually distinctive and expressive stories.<\/p>\n

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Alongside my artistic work, I have been leading animation workshops<\/a><\/strong> for children, teenagers, and adults since 1996. In my Animated Film Show<\/a><\/strong>, I present my short films<\/a> <\/strong>live and offer insights into the creative process. My Spinning Animation Shows<\/a><\/strong> feature historical animation devices such as the zoetrope, combining artistic practice with an engaging perspective on film history.[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Explore More” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1786194166021{border-bottom-width: 2px !important;border-bottom-style: solid !important;border-color: #EAEAEA !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1786194253381{margin-top: 16px !important;margin-bottom: 32px !important;}”]<\/p>\n