From Montpellier, France to Beverly Hills, USA!

In 2025, ARTFX has been on a roll: after the victory of Verdun at the 2025 PIDS, it was PITTURA’s turn to win first prize in the category “Outstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project”, the most prestigious special effects award, at the official awards ceremony of the Visual Effects Society (VES).

Often compared to the “Oscars of the visual effects industry”, these awards are multiplying for ARTFX, adding a 4th VES Award to the tally of the school. PITTURA follows Terra Nova (2019), Green (2022) and Silhouette (2024).

It’s also good news for French expertise: this benchmark event, which every year celebrates excellence in visual effects and innovation in the audiovisual industry, last January unveiled the list of nominees for its 23rd edition, and among the most renowned international productions (such as Dune: Part two, The Wild Robot, and the series Shōgun, The Penguin, etc.) made in France once again stands out!

This victory is a testament to the talent and exceptional work of the team on this graduation project. The PITTURA team is now on the rise to a promising career! We warmly congratulate them on their work:

• Lauriol Adam: CG Generalist at DistilleryVFX
• Lassère Titouan: Character artist
• Vivenza Rémi: Asset Modeling / Organic Modeling / Texturing / Lookdev
• Marre Helloïs: Digital Compositor at Black Kite Studios
• Emma Boulot : FX Artist
• Alexandre Lievin : CG Generalist at Cousin Bizarre

Other students also appear in the credits of this beautiful short film, demonstrating the great team spirit that characterizes ARTFX’s teaching methods. Congratulations also to Zoé Lafay, Antoine Delclaud, Mathis Giraudeau, Elouan Rogliano, Angèle Sionneau, Théo Francisco Martin.

The entire ARTFX team is very proud to see not only once again many former students nominated for the most prestigious global VFX competition, but also in the credits of international blockbusters.

“The VES Awards are the Holy Grail! The greatest reward for anyone working in the special effects industry. Receiving this award consecutively is unheard of for a French school. Congratulations to our students and teachers who dare to push their limits every year! This exceptional distinction is a testament to their talent and reinforces our place among the world leaders in special effects, proving that high standards and passion are the keys to success.” Gilbert Kiner, founding president of ARTFX

Numerous ALUMNI (former ARTFX students) were also on the list of nominees for this 23rd edition of the VES Awards:

Frederick Vallee (Class of 2018), Environment Generalist at Industrial Light and Magic, for Gladiator II
Gerald Blaize (Class of 2006), Digital Model Supervisor at Industrial Light and Magic, for Deadpool & Wolverine
Benjamin Bernon (Class of 2017), Lighting Supervisor at Important Looking Pirates VFX for Shōgun; Broken to the Fist; Landslide
Victor Kirsh (Class of 2019) for Shōgun; Broken to the Fist; Landslide
Gerome Viavant (Class of 2008), Visual Effects Supervisor at Illumination Studios Paris for Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony; Run
Lea Desrozier (Class of 2021), Environment Generalist at Digital Domain for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

Another great success story for ARTFX students, who are regularly nominated and awarded at national and international competitions and festivals. The teams at our schools are proud to see exceptionally talented artists grow over the course of a few years.

On the other hand, at a time when artificial intelligence is shaking up the image professions, ARTFX stands out for its rigorous approach and its immersion in the standards of the film industry. Each student is prepared to join the biggest studios, thanks to teaching that is aligned with market expectations. As proof of this, in 2024, ARTFX was crowned, among other things, School No. 1 in special effects in the worldwide ranking of The Rookies jury (for the 6th consecutive year!).

Congratulations to the entire ARTFX teaching team: Dominique Peyronnet, Ignacio Morales Condell, Jerome Duraud, Valentin Drouet, Mathieu Sancho, Mathieu Arce, Guillaume Arrighi, Franck Basset, Florence Guy, Florian Girardot, Kévin Lieber… and all those who have contributed in any way to this great success.

The movie

• Watch PITTURA
• Watch the making-of

All graduation movies

• See all the films 2024

About: The Visual Effects Society is the global honorary organization for professionals in the visual effects industry. Each year, the VES Awards celebrate excellence in the fields of film, animation, television, commercials and video games. These awards honor the artists and technicians who push the boundaries of creativity and innovation.

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