FMX Film & Media Exchange returns once again May 6-9, 2025, for the 29th edition of the conference on animation, effects, interactive, and immersive media. Plans are underway for another stellar program.Organizers have shared their first update on whats coming here are the highlights:FMX 2025: RHYTHM OF CHANGEThe theme for 2025 is RHYTHM OF CHANGE, prompting the question: How can we ensure that production technologies enhance and support the goals and intentions of the creators who keep us human and connected through their art?Look for discussions about the growing number of sharing platforms, open standards, and other initiatives that have recently emerged with a special focus on cross-platform collaboration, pipelines, and distances both physical and subjective from interoperability to the disruptions shaking up film production.Paul Debevec joins FMX 2025 as Program ChairPaul Debevec is the chief research officer at Netflixs Eyeline Studios in Los Angeles, overseeing R&D for visual effects and virtual production with computer vision, graphics, and machine learning. In 2002, Debevecs Light Stage 3 system pioneered the virtual production technique of surrounding actors with color LEDs to display images of virtual environments for lighting-accurate compositing.Debevecs techniques for photogrammetry, HDR imaging, image-based lighting, and photoreal digital actors have been used to create key visual effects sequences in Matrix, Spider-Man 2, Benjamin Button, AvatarI, Gravity, Oblivion, Maleficent, Furious 7, Blade Runner: 2049, Gemini Man, Free Guy, and numerous video games.Debevecs work has been recognized with two Academy Awards for Scientific and Technical Achievement, the Progress Medal from the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, and in 2022, the Charles F. Jenkins Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award. He is a Governor of the Visual Effects Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the Visual Effects Society, and an Adjunct Research Professor at the University of Southern California."We are honored that the Master of Light himself, Dr Paul Debevec, has agreed to be our program chair for FMX 2025, said FMX Conference Chair Dr. Jan Pinkava. He has been instrumental in creating an entire discipline of image capture and image making, with rigorous and wide-ranging applications throughout Visual Effects, Virtual Production and beyond. Pauls network spans academia and industry at the highest level and we are excited to have his invaluable guidance. On top of that, hes a really nice guy!"Source: FMX 2025 Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.