By ROSS AUERBACH
All photos courtesy of the VES Germany Section.
By ROSS AUERBACH
All photos courtesy of the VES Germany Section.
As the Visual Effects Society continues to increase in membership and international reach, each of its 16 Sections plays a major role in building relationships from the ground up and supporting the community with an active calendar of events. With more than 225 active members, VES Germany has thrived since it was founded in 2017. Just since 2022, Section membership has climbed 15% with in-person and virtual events drawing crowds and creating a large and welcoming community. Germany’s dedicated Board Chairs have faced the challenge of a membership spread across the country, and have brought their passion to holding events throughout the country’s VFX hubs – Berlin, Munich and Stuttgart – allowing the Section to continue to grow and engage.
Despite the diversity of locations, “our Section fosters dynamic engagement and allows us to reach a broader creative community. Coordinating simultaneous meetups or drives across these hubs isn’t always feasible, but we successfully manage to do so at least once a year – demonstrating both commitment and cohesion. Beyond that, we’re proud to be the first Section in our region to proactively initiate cross-border collaboration, engaging with fellow VES members throughout Europe and setting a precedent for international connectivity,” said VES Germany Chair Agon Ushaku. One recent event highlighted these burgeoning relationships: A visit to Platige Image Studio in Warsaw, Poland created meaningful connections between their VFX artists and VES Germany.
Stuttgart, the site of FMX (Film & Media Exchange), gives VES Germany the perfect opportunity to host the global VES community each year. The 2025 luncheon at Brauhaus Schönbuch delighted attendees and allowed VES members from all over the world to get to know each other in person. The Section also co-hosted the “FMX Women’s Breakfast Meetup” to start the day of events with camaraderie among women and allies in the industry.
Summer parties in Berlin and Munich brought VES Germany members and their families together to create long-lasting memories. VES members went to theaters to share the experience at screenings of new release feature films and episodics. These local events cement the Section as a part of the visual effects community across Germany and Europe.
VES Germany Vice-Chair Christine Resch remarked that Section members “span an impressive variety of projects from local productions to major international collaborations, making it a perfect hub for sharing knowledge and elevating each other’s work. The members bring skills from all over the world and use them to raise the bar for German productions in clever, thoughtful ways.” Section members are active in all areas of VFX work, including international and local film and episodics, gaming and commercial production, and have conducted research into cutting-edge VFX – virtual production, Gaussian splatting and the use of Generative AI in VFX shots. VES Germany hosted a hands-on event at virtual production studio LEDCave in Berlin, where practitioners from CHAOS demonstrated its “Project Arena” virtual production solution, bringing virtual assets straight from the artists to the LED wall.
Spearheaded by VES Germany and now in its 6th year, the international education series “VES Megabrain Masterclass” continues to engage VFX artists with educational webinars by experts taking live Q&A on a wide variety of subjects. Held last April, “Masterclass Volume 11” featured Dr. Diana Arellano, Senior Lecturer for Technical Directing at Animationinstitut of the Filmakademie Baden-Württenberg; Christopher Herrick, CG Supervisor, VFX Generalist and Character Artist; and Sebastian Schütt, Lead Compositor at Image Engine. “Megabrain Masterclass” will record its 12th session focusing on “Women in VFX” in April 2026 with presentations by Amanda Heppner, WeFX; Valentina Rosselli, ILM; and Kader Bagli, RiseFX. The series has branched out to include “Megabrain Insight,” live events focused on the future of the industry, and “Megabrain Students,” virtual panels that include international state-of-the-art student projects. All Masterclass sessions are recorded and available to the entire global membership on the VES website.
Over the past year, members of VES Germany traveled across Europe and represented the Society, speaking and networking at global events: IBC Amsterdam, SIGGRAPH and VIEW. Vice-Chair Jonas Kluger noted, “Our members are active across the globe, attending conferences, sharing knowledge and representing German VFX talent internationally. Positioned at the center of Europe, we’re surrounded by countries with thriving VFX industries, which makes collaboration and connection a natural part of who we are. We’re proud to be a hub where creativity and community come together.”
What makes VES Germany so special is that “it is a tight-knit network where you learn from some of the most diverse and talented people in the field, all while staying connected to the global VES Sections and the bigger conversation about where the industry is heading. These close connections make collaboration natural and meaningful, turning the community into more than just a professional network,” said Christine Resch.
2026 is packed with activity for VES Germany: Live nomination events for the 24th Annual VES Awards will be held in both Berlin and Munich (a first for the Section!); travel is already booked for international conferences; the location for the FMX2026 mixer is being scouted; and “Megabrain Students Volume 2” will record live in March. In June, fostering cross-section collaboration, VES Germany and VES France will co-host a major event for the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Many more exciting events are planned throughout the year.
The Visual Effects Society would like to congratulate Chair Agon Ushaku, a 2025 VES Section Honoree, for the years of hard work he has put into leading the VES Germany Section.
