Till Nowak is a German

digital artist Digital art, or the digital arts, is artistic work that uses digital technology as part of the creative or presentational process. It can also refer to computational art that uses and engages with digital media. Since the 1960s, various names have ...

and

visual artist The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...

graphic designer A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming ...

and

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

. He received recognition for his grad project, the 2005 film ''Delivery'', and for his art piece The Experience of Fliehkraft and its film offshoot '' The Centrifuge Brain Project'', both released in 2011, and more recently for his 2015 film '' Dissonance''.

Background

Till Nowak was born 28 July 1980, in

Bonn, Germany Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

, and until 2008 lived in

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

. He was born to artistic parents; his mother taught

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porce ...

to children and his father was a

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

and teacher. At age 19 in 1999, he founded and began work in his own studio FrameboX. From 2000 to 2005, he studied media design at the

University of Applied Sciences A vocational university or university of applied sciences (UAS), less commonly called a polytechnic university is an institution of higher education and increasingly research that provides applied professional education and grants academic de ...

in Mainz. He has collaborated with his brother Nik Nowak, and states when the two get together the ideas flow. For his

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

project at the University of Applied Sciences, in 2005 Nowak wrote, directed, and produced ''

Delivery Delivery may refer to: Biology and medicine *Childbirth *Drug delivery *Gene delivery Business and law *Delivery (commerce), of goods, e.g.: **Pizza delivery ** Milk delivery ** Food delivery ** Online grocer *Deed ("delivery" in contract law), a ...

'', a 9-minute animated film which screened at more than 200 international film festivals, winning more than 35 awards, including those from AFI Fest Hollywood,

Annecy International Animated Film Festival The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (, officially abbreviated in English as the Annecy Festival, or simply Annecy) was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring ever ...

, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Kurzfilmpreis, and a nomination from the

European Film Awards The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mos ...

. He had first shared the film on an internet forum discussing simulated 3-D in film, the resulting attention included hundreds of emails with job offers and festival invitations. After leaving Mainz in 2008, Nowak took up residence

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. He is a member of both the German Film Academy and the

European Film Academy The European Film Academy is a group of European film director, filmmakers who come together in Berlin on the occasion of the first presentation of the European Film Awards in November 1988. Every year, the European Film Academy honors films an ...

. In spring of 2013, he was signed by

UTA Uta or UTA may refer to: Universities *University of Texas at Arlington, in the United States *University of Texas at Austin, in the United States *University of Tarapacá, in Chile *University of Tampere, in Finland Sports * FC UTA Arad, a R ...

. In April 2015, Nowak and his family moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. In June 2024, he was invited to join the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

as a member of the Production Design branch.

Projects

Till Nowak is known for his 2005 film ''Delivery'', his 2011 art piece ''The Experience of Fliehkraft'', and the related award-winning 2011 film ''The Centrifuge Brain Project''. The latter two focus on a series of odd (and physically impossible) rides that he was inspired to create when visiting an amusement park in 2008. Creating the sequences for the seven rides took three months, spread out through 2008 and 2011. ''The Experience of Fliehkraft'' debuted in 2011 as part of the solo exhibition "A Lot of Civilisation" during "Walk of Art" at Prototyp Museum in

Hamburg, Germany Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. Touring as part of the

art installation Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often cal ...

"A Lot of Civilisation", the art piece visited numerous museums and international venues, including

Ars Electronica Ars Electronica Linz GmbH is an Austrian cultural, educational and scientific institute active in the field of new media art, founded in Linz in 1979. It is based at the Ars Electronica Center (AEC), which houses the Museum of the Future, in t ...

Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...

and

SIGGRAPH SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques) is an annual conference centered around computer graphics organized by ACM, starting in 1974 in Boulder, CO. The main conference has always been held in North ...

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

in 2011, the

Transmediale Transmediale, stylised as transmediale, is an annual festival for art and digital culture in Berlin, usually held over three to five days at the end of January and the beginning of February. transmediale takes the form of a conference (sometime ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

and the Seoul Biennale in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

and the 7th edition of Media City Seoul in 2012, and most recently at the

Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (, "City of Science and Industry", abbreviated la CSI) or simply CSI is a large science museum in Europe. Located in the Parc de la Villette in Paris, France, it is one of the three dozen French Cultural ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

as part of L' Art Robotique through January 2015. As Nowak began sharing his faux blueprints and realistic clips as part art installations, he released ''The Centrifuge Brain Project''. Its creation was inspired by wanting "to create an even stronger clash between realism and absurdity." Choosing a realistic approach, he used the mockumentary style to allow viewers "to feel as if they were eye witnesses", and "to enhance the impact of the idea." As part of the film's plot, he creating a fictional research company and hired an actor to play the firm's Chief Engineer. Nowak had the monologue concept in his head for a while, but the script was written just two days before filming. Nowak stated, "I had no technical reference for the short film. I created the manipulated amusement rides and the techy talk just out of my own scientific humor. They are a mix of real physics, absurdity and deliberate contradictions. The goal was to create the biggest possible mistake, but still make it sound serious and convincing." Filming took two days – one day in an actual amusement park and one day in a laboratory – and editing took two months.

Filmography

* ''Epiphania'' (2005) (visual effects) * ''Delivery'' (2005) (writer, director, producer) * ''Göring - Eine Karriere'' (2006) (art director) * ''Rommels Schatz'' (2007) (digital artist) * ''Rommels Krieg'' (2007) (visual effects) * ''Zum dritten Pol'' (2007) (visual effects) * ''Mythos & Wahrheit – Der Kennedy-Mord'' (2007) (visual effects supervisor) * ''Die Eylandt Recherche'' (2008) (visual effects supervisor) * ''Flucht in die Freiheit – Mit dem Mut der Verzweiflung'' (2009) (animator) * ''Flucht in die Freiheit – Mit allen Mitteln'' (2009) (animator) * ''Der Wettlauf zum Südpol – Deutschland gegen Österreich'' (5 episodes, 2011) (animator) * ''Der Wettlauf zum Südpol – Amundsen gegen Scott'' (1 episodes, 2011) (animator) * ''

Arthur Christmas ''Arthur Christmas'' is a 2011 animated Christmas comedy film directed by Sarah Smith who co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Baynham, and starring the voices of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, and Ashley ...

'' (2011) (set designer) * ''Alien Fans II'' (2012) (himself) * '' The Centrifuge Brain Project'' (2012) * '' Dissonance'' (2015) (writer, director, producer) * ''

Ron's Gone Wrong ''Ron's Gone Wrong'' is a 2021 animated science fiction comedy film directed by Sarah Smith and Jean-Philippe Vine (in his feature directorial debut) and written by Peter Baynham and Smith. The film follows Barney ( Jack Dylan Grazer), a soci ...

'' (2021) (art director)

Recognition

In 2006, after ''Delivery'' had screened at Audi Festival of German Films in Australia, '' Die Woche in Australien'' Called Nowak a "rising young star" and praised ''Delivery'' as a successful exploration. ''Variety'' made note that Nowak "is a well known artist who made a splash with his directorial debut of the short film, ''The Delivery'' in 2005 which went on to win numerous awards including the Jury Award for Best Short and Audience Award for Best Short at the 2005 AFI Festival." When under 2015

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

consideration, his film ''Dissonance'' is described to be "Evocative of

Christopher Nolan Sir Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British and American filmmaker. Known for his Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters with complex storytelling, he is considered a leading filmma ...

’s surreal ''

Inception ''Inception'' is a 2010 science fiction action heist film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who also produced it with Emma Thomas, his wife. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by inf ...

'', as well as

Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker and producer noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one o ...

’s sci-fi standout, ''

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'' is a 2004 American surrealist science fiction romantic drama film directed by Michel Gondry and written by Charlie Kaufman from a story by Gondry, Kaufman, and Pierre Bismuth. Starring Jim Carrey a ...

''.

Partial awards and nominations

Delivery

* 2005, Won both 'Short Award' and Audience Award' at

AFI Fest The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Lead ...

* 2005, Won Prix UIP Ghent (European Short Film) at

Ghent International Film Festival Film Fest Gent, also known as International Film Fest Gent, is an annual international film festival in Ghent, Belgium. The festival held its first edition in 1974, under the name Internationaal Filmgebeuren Gent, and has since grown into the la ...

* 2005, Won Audience Award - Student Competition for 'Best Animation Film' at Wiesbaden goEast * 2005, Won Hamburg Animation Award for 'Best Short Film' at OFFF Barcelona * 2005, Won the Bergischer Filmpreis for 'Best Animation' * 2006, Won Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau 'Short Film Award' * 2006, Won Jean-Luc Xiberras Award for a First Film at

* 2006, Won 2nd place Children's Jury Award at

Chicago International Children's Film Festival In 1983, Facets Multi-Media founded the Chicago International Children's Film Festival (CICFF), the first competitive festival of films for children in the U.S. The impetus for the Festival came from a need to introduce new, culturally diverse fi ...

* 2006, Nominated for 'Best Short Film Award' at

* 2006, Won Audience Award at Hamburg International Short Film Festival * 2006, Won Prix du Conseil Général at Pontault-Combault Short Film Festival * 2006, Won Jury Prize for 'Best Short film' at San Sebastián Horror and Fantasy Film Festival * 2006, Won 'Best Animation' at Tehran Short Film Festival * 2006, Won Festival Prize for 'Best Animation' at Toronto Fantasy Worldwide Film Festival * 2007, Won Gold Award for 'Animation' at

Crested Butte Film Festival The Crested Butte Film Festival is a celebration of international films, held annually over four days in the last weekend of September, in Crested Butte, Colorado. History Celebrating it's 15th Anniversary in 2025, the Crested Butte Film Festival ...

* 2007, Won Jury Award for 'Best Animated Short' at

Durango Film Festival Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

* 2007, Won Special Jury Award for 'Best Short Film' at Montecatini Filmvideo – International Short Film Festival * 2007, Won both 'Director's Choice Award' and 'Excellence in Filmmaking' at

Sedona International Film Festival The Sedona International Film Festival (SIFF) is an annual, eight-day film festival in Sedona, Arizona. The festival was founded in 1994. History In 2023, the festival was listed on ''MovieMakers "20 Great Film Festivals in Vacation Destinat ...

* 2007, Won Golden Glibb for 'Best Short Film' at Weekend of Fear,

Nuremberg, Germany Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

* 2007, Won Jury Award for 'Best Animation' at

Byron Bay International Film Festival The Byron Bay Film Festival (BBFF) is a popular AACTA Awards accredited independent awards-based film event held in the late Australian summer at the Palace Cinemas, in the coastal town of Byron BayBrunswick Picture Housein Brunswick Heads and ...

for the film Delivery

The Experience of Fliehkraft

* 2011, Won honorary mention at

* 2011, Won juried

runner up A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

2011.

The Centrifuge Brain Project

* 2011, Won jury award and audience award for 'Best Short Film' at San Sebastián Horror and Fantasy Film Festival * 2012, Nominated for Le Cristal d'Annecy at Annecy International Animated Film Festival * 2012, Won Jury Award for 'Best Short Short' at

Aspen Shortsfest The Aspen Shortsfest is an annual Oscar-qualifying short film festival held in Aspen, Colorado. It is run by Aspen Film, which has also run the feature film festival, Aspen Filmfest, since 1979. History and description Aspen Film was founded b ...

* 2012, Won Youth Jury Award Honorable Mention for 'National Competition' at Filmfest Dresden * 2012, Nominated for Golden Horseman award for 'Best Short Fiction Film – National Competition' at Filmfest Dresden * 2012, Won Short Film Award in Gold for 'Outstanding Short Film' at German Short Film Awards * 2012, Won Audience Liberté Award for 'International Competition' at Hamburg International Short Film Festival * 2012, Won Russian Film Clubs Federation Award and a First Place award for 'Best Short Film' at

Moscow International Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (, Transliteration, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is a film festival first held in Moscow in 1935 and became regular since 1959. From its inception to ...

* 2012, Won Deutscher Kurzfilmpreis for 'Outstanding Short Film' at German Short Film Awards * 2012, Won Audience Award at

Filmfest München The Munich International Film Festival () is the largest summer film festival in Germany and second only in size and importance to the Berlinale. It has been held annually since 1983 and takes place in late June or early July. It presents fe ...

* 2012, Won Honorable Mention for 'Short Film' at

International Short Film Festival Oberhausen The International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, founded in 1954, is one of the oldest short film festivals in the world. Held in Oberhausen, it is one of the major international platforms for the short form. The festival holds an International ...

* 2012, Won Audience Award in 'German Competition' and won 'Best German Short Film Special Mention' at Regensburg Short Film Week * 2012, Won Kurosawa Award for creative excellence at

24FPS International Short Film Festival The 24FPS International Short Film Festival (formerly WESTfest) is a two-day short film festival hosted in Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its p ...

' * 2012, Won 'Best Producer' at

Abu Dhabi Film Festival The Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF; ), formerly the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), was an international film festival held in the city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 2007 to 2015. History The Middle East Internationa ...

Dissonance

* 2015, Won 'Jury Award' Grand Prix at Anima Mundi Animation Festival * 2015, Won 'Sacem Award for Original Music' at

* 2015, Won Prix UIP Berlin at

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

for Till Nowak * 2015, Won Audience Award for 'Best Animated Short Film' at Fancine Festival de Cine Fantastico de la Universidad de Malaga * 2015, won 'Best Animation' at Aspen Shortsfest International * 2015, nominated for

Golden Berlin Bear The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...

for 'Best Short Film' by European Film Academy at Berlin International Film Festival * 2015, Won Deutscher Filmmusikpreis (German Film Music Award) for 'Best Music in a Film' at German Film Score Awards * 2015, nominated for 'Best Short Film' at

Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), established in 1947, is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all titles are World, international, European or UK Premieres), in al ...

* 2015, Won VFX Award for 'Best Visual Effects' at

HollyShorts Film Festival The HollyShorts Film Festival is an annual Academy Awards-qualifying independent short film festival located in Hollywood, California. History Founded in 2005, the yearly festival programmes feature an eclectic mixture of short films of various ge ...

* 2015, nominated for

European Film Award The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the most ...

for 'European Short Film' at

* 2015, Won Don Quixote Award at Krakow Film Festival * 2015, Won Best International ShortWork Award for 'Best International Shortfilm' at

Whistler Film Festival The Whistler Film Festival (WFF) is an annual film festival held in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 2001, the festival is held the first weekend of December and includes juried competitive sections, the Borsos Awards, and the Pand ...

* 2016, Won 'Best Use of Digital Technology in a Short Film' at Flickerfest International Short Film Festival * 2016, nominated for 'Best Animated Short Subject' at

Annie Awards The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origi ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nowak, Till 1980 births Mass media people from Bonn Artists from Bonn German experimental filmmakers English-language film directors Living people German male screenwriters