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Mar 04, 2026
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Roland Emmerich celebrates 30 years of “Independence Day” at FMX

Director, producer and screenwriter Roland Emmerich on set. © Reiner Bajo

FMX is excited to welcome a very special guest to its 30th edition: the internationally renowned director, producer and screenwriter Roland Emmerich is returning to his home town of Stuttgart to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his blockbuster hit “Independence Day”.

The movie received an Oscar® for Best Visual Effects at the 69th Academy Awards in 1997, combining large-scale miniature work, practical creatures and explosions, cloud tanks, and early digital compositing. “Independence Day” set a new benchmark for disaster spectacles and has influenced countless effects-driven films that followed.

 

In this anniversary session with befores & afters journalist Ian Failes, Roland Emmerich will reflect on his own career in filmmaking, share untold stories from the making of “Independence Day”, and discuss its key place in visual effects history.

 

I worked and released the film as head of Fox in France, 6.5 Million tickets sold! Bruno Chatelin 

 


Spectacular Blockbusters and Sensitive Dramas

 

Roland Emmerich’s movies have taken in more than $4 billion globally, making him one of the highest-grossing directors, and the most commercially successful German filmmaker of all time. His filmography includes blockbuster movies like “Stargate” (1994), “Independence Day” (1996), “Godzilla” (1998), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), “2012” (2009), “White House Down” (2013), and “Moonfall” (2022).

 

Roland Emmerich is equally comfortable with directing more personal projects such as “Anonymous” (2011) and “Stonewall” (2015). He is also dedicated to mentoring the next generation of aspiring filmmakers, such as Academy Award® and Golden Globe® Award nominee Tim Fehlbaum, whom he supported as Executive Producer on “Hell” (2011) and “Tides/The Colony” (2021). Roland was also instrumental in supporting directors Oliver Hermanus and Marco Kreuzpaintner in their respective careers.

 

Most recently, Roland Emmerich directed and executive produced “Those About To Die” (2024), an epic TV drama series set in the complex and corrupt world of ancient Rome’s spectacle-driven gladiatorial competition. 

Mechanical Effects Supervisor Joe Viskocil preparing a scene for "Independence Day". © Twentieth Century Fox

 

Size Does Matter

 

In his native Germany, Roland’s career began when his first film, a HFF Munich (Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München) student project called “The Noah’s Ark Principle” (1984), played in competition at the 1984 Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale).

 

“Size does matter” was the tagline of “Godzilla”, and Roland Emmerich always thought as big as possible when making films: he consistently pursued his goal, went to Hollywood and realized his German-American dream. He and his sister, producer Ute Emmerich, subsequently established Centropolis Entertainment in 1985. Under this banner, Roland Emmerich continues to deliver impactful films that challenge both the eye and the mind.

 

Roland Emmerich was invited to be a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the Directors Branch in 1997. Honoring his life’s work as a producer, Roland received the first-ever Carl Laemmle Producing Prize in 2017. In January 2020, the Visual Effects Society (VES) bestowed its prestigious Visionary Award upon him at its annual Hollywood gala.

Save the Date: Roland Emmerich will be at FMX on Wednesday, May 06.

 

FMX 2026: On Site May 5-7 | Online & On Campus May 8 | On Demand May 9-June 9
 

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