ARTFX shines at the Rookies Awards 2025: victories, distinctions and a promising future

From graduation short films to video games and individual demoreels, ARTFX finalists are represented in every major category of the competition — a testament to both the school’s artistic rigor and the technical quality of the training delivered across its three campuses.

🥇 Rookies 2025: ARTFX at the top of the table at the Rookies Awards 2025

The year 2025 is shaping up to be a brilliant one for ARTFX, with renewed international recognition through a series of prestigious awards for our students. A true global benchmark in the fields of animation, visual effects, video games and design, this competition honors the best creative schools and their emerging talents. Once again, ARTFX stands out for the teaching expertise and creativity of its students.

🎬 Film of the Year | 2D Animation / People’s Choice : Entre Eux Deux (Film ARTFX 2024)

A touching, poetic film that captured the hearts of audiences. This award is a testament to the graphic and narrative sensibility specific to the teaching of 2D animation at ARTFX.

🎥 Film of the Year | Visual Effects:

✨ Runner-Up: Pittura (Film ARTFX 2024)
🎖️ Highly Commended: Verdun (Film ARTFX 2024)
🎖️ Highly Commended: Life Simulator (Film ARTFX 2024)
🎖️ Highly Commended: Rescue (Film ARTFX 2024)

These multiple awards in the visual effects category show how ARTFX’s VFX training is in line with the most demanding international standards. 👏 Congratulations also to our individually awarded students:

⭐ Rohit Kottamasu – Highly Commended, Visual Effects
⭐ Léa Stasse – Highly Commended, 2D Animation

ARTFX: an exceptional harvest of selections

ARTFX confirms its place among the industry’s most influential institutions, with a remarkable number of projects and students selected as finalists in all the competition’s major categories. Below are the selections:

🎬 Finalists in the “Best VFX Film” category

• Rescue (2024)

• Verdun (2024)

• Pittura (2024)

• Life Simulator (2024)

• Rescue (2024)

• Mach 125 (2025)

These projects reflect the artistic ambition and technical precision at the heart of ARTFX’s VFX training program.

➡️ See all winner projects on TheRookies.co

🎬 Best 2D Animation Film

• The Bitter and the Sweet (2024)

• Entre eux deux (2024)

• Aphelion (2025, coming soon)

These films showcase the graphic richness and visual storytelling developed through ARTFX’s 2D Animation program.

➡️ See all winner projects on TheRookies.co

🎬 Best 3D Animation Film

• Nightfall (2024)

• The Ray (2024)

• Beyond the Fog (2024)

• Mr TV Head (2025)

These projects are proof of the high level of narrative and technical mastery achieved by students in ARTFX’s 3D Animation program.

➡️ See all winner projects on TheRookies.co

🎮 Best Video Game

• Masquerade (2025)

• Terminus (2025)

• That One Otter Game (2025)

Once again, ARTFX demonstrates its pedagogical expertise in game design and interactive storytelling through original and immersive creations.

➡️ See all winner projects on TheRookies.co

💼 Career opportunities for ARTFX students

Beyond awards and creative selections, the Rookies Awards also offer a gateway to employment with leading studios. This year, several industry partners extended real-world career opportunities (internships or job offers) to selected candidates based on their personal projects and demoreels.

Here are the ARTFX students selected by these prestigious studios:

🎯 Fortiche

• Timothée Hontoir (Montpellier)

🎯 Skydance Animation

• Adrien Prat (Montpellier)

• Vincent Pouilly (Montpellier)

🎯 Outpost VFX

• Arthur Tournaire (Montpellier)

• Nathan Rieux (Paris)

• Kilian Carrière (Montpellier)

• Viktor Weiss (Lille)

• Pierre Levin (Montpellier)

• Léo Hanrion (Lille)

• Taho Païta (Montpellier)

🎯 Ghost VFX

• Lucas Damour (Montpellier)

• Hugo Legay (Montpellier)

• Richard Bielawski (Montpellier)

• Cédric Paladjian (Montpellier)

• Rohit Kottamasu (Montpellier)

• Léo Hanrion (Lille)

• Taho Païta (Montpellier)

• Tommy Perillat (Montpellier)

🎯 ETC

• Alfred Merton (Lille)

• Nikhil Thomas .A (Montpellier)

• Anna Marmo (Montpellier)

🎯 Important Looking Pirates

• Lucas Damour (Montpellier)

• Arthur Tournaire (Montpellier)

• Kilian Carrière (Montpellier)

• Nathan Rieux (Paris)

• Viktor Weiss (Lille)

• Richard Bielawski (Montpellier)

• Anna Marmo (Montpellier)

• Nikhil Thomas .A (Montpellier)

• Tommy Perillat (Montpellier)

✨ This wide array of selections across top-tier studios reflects not only the level of expertise ARTFX students have achieved, but also the relevance and strength of the school’s pedagogical model across its three campuses (Montpellier, Lille, Paris).

🏆 Rookies of the Year: 7 ARTFX students among the finalists

Several ARTFX students have also been selected as finalists in the Rookie of the Year category, which celebrates the most promising individual profiles worldwide — based on their demoreels or personal projects.

✨ 2D Animation

• Audrey Jodon (Lille)

• Léa Stasse (Montpellier)

• Julien Faure (Lille)

• Camille Derieux (Lille)

✨ 3D Animation

• Briag Gueho (Montpellier)

✨ Visual Effects (VFX)

• Hugo Legay (Montpellier)

• Rohit Kottamasu (Montpellier)

🎓 ARTFX: a strong international presence and a pedagogical model that delivers

Being represented in such a wide range of categories — both as teams and individuals — illustrates the strength and consistency of ARTFX’s educational approach. This achievement reflects a professional-grade curriculum, real-world production conditions, and a constant emphasis on creativity.

The Rookies Awards are a global benchmark for digital arts education. ARTFX’s visibility and impact in this 2025 edition further reinforce its reputation as a world-class institution in animation, VFX and digital creation.