FMX 2026 Program Unveiled: Spotlighting the Cutting Edge of VFX, Animation, and Digital Media Creation

The FMX 2026 program has been announced, featuring the diverse range of topics the conference is known for and addressing the latest and hottest developments in VFX, animation, and digital media creation.

Three Highlight Sessions Announced

The organizers are pleased to confirm several new sessions:

Wizards from Lux Aeterna Reveal Their Secrets: Acclaimed VFX studio Lux Aeterna will publicly disclose the secrets behind their fascinating experiment, “RENO,” for the first time. The studio, known for its award-winning work on productions including The Crown, Human, and Our Universe, turned that expertise inward, producing the original sci-fi short film “RENO” as a live testbed for virtual production and machine learning workflows. The session will showcase how a traditionally post-driven VFX studio re-engineered its pipeline for a newly opened virtual production stage.

Deep Dive into Moonvalley’s Generative AI Model: The much-discussed generative AI model from Moonvalley will be the subject of a dedicated presentation. Ben Lock, Head of Production Strategy at Moonvalley, will reframe the conversation around generative video through a VFX lens, arguing that its true value emerges when it supports storytelling craft rather than producing standalone clips. The talk will present a practical, shot-first framework for integrating generative video into VFX pipelines.

A Model of European Cross-Studio Collaboration: VFX supervisors from The Yard VFX and TRIXTER will jointly present a showcase of collaborative European expertise. For the production of Predator: Badlands, the two studios achieved synergistic VFX creation based on shared assets and continuous creative exchange. Supervisors Laurens Ehrmann (The Yard VFX) and Dominik Zimmerle (TRIXTER) will reveal how they actively referenced and inspired one another’s work across studios, using shared look development and assets to ensure continuity while elevating environments, characters, creatures, and effects.

“RENO”: Exploring New Realms in Visual Effects Through Sci-Fi Filmmaking

In the Shorts track, the team from Lux Aeterna will dissect the process behind “RENO” from multiple perspectives. Compositing Supervisor Tav Flett, Founder & Director Rob Hifle, Creative Technologist James Pollock, and VFX Director Paul Silcox will collectively explain how a traditionally post-driven VFX studio re-engineered its pipeline for a newly opened virtual production stage, how environments were designed for in-camera capture, and how tools such as Gaussian splat scanning, automated rotoscoping, and marker removal streamlined production. Across creative, technical, and production viewpoints, the team shares practical lessons from delivering a high-ambition project with a lean crew, demonstrating the core principle that craft and technology must evolve together.

The Human Craft Behind Generative Video for VFX

Within the VFX for Features track, the presentation from Moonvalley will emphasize craft and control: how to define shot intent, constrain variation, manage continuity, and keep iteration productive through supervisor-facing review loops. A live-action, photoreal digital character workflow grounds the framework in process, constraints, and failure modes that emerge during review and finishing. The session will conclude by looking ahead: how multimodal inputs from standard production artifacts can serve as control surfaces, making generative video more directable and reliable.

“The Predator from Yautja – Made in Europe”

The joint presentation by The Yard VFX and TRIXTER will delve deep into their favorite sequences from Predator: Badlands, highlighting the creative and technical challenges that defined them. More than a showcase of shots, this presentation demonstrates how cross-studio collaboration and shared inspiration across European VFX houses strengthened both craft and storytelling.

The Road Ahead: Reinvention Amidst Transformation

Film and digital media have blended storytelling and technology since their inception, with engineers providing artists with the tools to bring their ideas to life in ever new ways. The most recent tool in the box is Artificial Intelligence, triggering the latest in a series of transformations since the advent of the talkies 100 years ago. As with changing global markets and shifting audience behavior, the key is adaptation: the creative industries have a history of constantly reinventing themselves – to be continued.

FMX 2026 will set the stage for people who are shaping the future with their confidence, resilience, and creativity in the midst of the ongoing transformation.

FMX 2026 is approaching. Stay tuned for this annual gathering of the VFX, animation, and digital media creation community. For more information and the full program, please visit the official FMX website.