ARTFX celebrates its 20th anniversary!

In June 2024, ARTFX proudly celebrated 20 years of existence at the Domaine d’Ô in Montpellier, in the city where the school was founded in 2004. In two decades, the school has trained nearly 1,200 students from the four corners of the globe, establishing itself as a benchmark for French expertise in the image professions. The celebration brought together students, teachers and administrative staff, as well as local and international institutional partners.

If ARTFX is now entering its third decade, it’s thanks to the pioneering vision of its founders, Gilbert Kiner and Martine Charviez. Their ambition and dedication have paid off, making ARTFX a key player in the training of future professionals in the cultural and creative industries. With campuses in three major French regions, the school continues to meet the evolving needs of these sectors by working closely with film and video game professionals. This synergy enables ARTFX students to benefit from cutting-edge training, opening the doors to success in these demanding and exciting professions. For its anniversary jury, ARTFX was honored by the presence of Michaël Delafosse, Mayor of Montpellier and President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole:

“ARTFX is 20 years old and it’s a great school. Try to embody a country, because you are its youth, whose message is hope for a better world. Thank you, happy anniversary and bravo.” Michaël Delafosse

Looking back over these 20 years, ARTFX can see how far we’ve come and how many successes we’ve achieved: prestigious awards (VES, PIDS, Pégases), thousands of festival selections and, above all, the professional integration of our students in key positions of responsibility at some of the biggest animation, special effects and video game studios. Today, ARTFX has been awarded the France 2030 label, la grande fabrique de l’image. This support and recognition gives ARTFX a real boost to its training programs. The ambitious structural projects initiated by Gilbert Kiner (President) and Simon Vanesse (General Manager) continue to propel the school towards new horizons, ensuring constant innovation and adaptation to the evolving creative industries market. Video review of an exceptional anniversary jury.

Established at the heart of powerful ecosystems and supported by a network of academic and industrial partners, ARTFX now offers training courses that complement those initiated 20 years ago: from scriptwriting to post-production, via traditional and contemporary image creation techniques. Technological advances such as real time, AI and 3D simulation enable our students to meet the current and future challenges of the creative industries. ARTFX is proud of its students’ achievements. ARTFX’s close ties with today’s experts enable us to write the new image professions.

“Turning 20 means looking to the future. Together, we continue to offer our students cutting-edge training that shapes the future of the professions in this beautiful industry, and we do so with the same fervor and passion that have always been our hallmark.” Simon Vanesse, ARTFX Managing Director

A few alumni (former students) took part remotely, with messages recorded from all around the globe, sending a thought to their former school on its anniversary. An emotional moment…

And to celebrate our students and their talent, what could be better than a video throwback? For the occasion, one of our former students, Florian Marvie, produced a montage of all our students’ graduation projects: discover 20 years of creativity on video! Discover below this compilation of excerpts from all our students’ graduation projects from 2006 to 2024: 2D, 3D, VFX and video game shorts combined:

“It’s an indescribable thrill to reach 20 years! Seeing all these alumni and long-time partners around us is something really special.” Gilbert Kiner, President of ARTFX

• See all the ARTFX school awards since its creation.
• Stay tuned for more news!