Christian Petzold
Christian Petzold photographed by Oliver Mark, Berlin 2002
Born (1960-09-14) 14 September 1960
Hilden, West Germany
OccupationFilm director
Years active1988– present

Christian Petzold (born 1960) is a German film director and screenwriter. Part of the 21st century Berlin School film movement,[1] he has received international recognition for directing films such as Jerichow (2008), Barbara (2012), and Phoenix (2014), all collaborations with actress Nina Hoss.[2][3] For Barbara, Petzold won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.[4]

Early life and education

Born in Hilden and raised in Haan, where he graduated from high school in 1979, Petzold fulfilled his military civil service in a small cinema club of a local YMCA, showing films to troubled adolescents.[5] From 1981 on he lived in Berlin, where he studied theatre and German studies at the Free University of Berlin. From 1988-1994, he studied film at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (dffb) where he studied with mentors who "included filmmakers, media artists, and media theorists Harun Farocki and Hartmut Bitomsky, who are both known for their non-narrative films, video work, and film installations in galleries and museums."[6] While at dffb, Petzold appeared in Thomas Arslan's short experimental film 19 Porträts (1990), a 16-millimeter black-and-white film in the tradition of Andy Warhol's Screen Tests.[6]

Career

His first film was Pilotinnen, which he directed for his film school graduation in 1995. While The State I Am In (German: Die innere Sicherheit) (2000) was his first feature film, also noting his first collaboration with Harun Farocki. In 2005, his film Gespenster was presented at the Berlin International Film Festival, as was his 2007 film Yella. Petzold writes his own scenarios, often collaborating with Harun Farocki.[7] As his former teacher at dffb, Farocki was a major influence on Petzold, who, along with Angela Schanelec and Thomas Arslan, is generally considered to be part of the Berlin School.[8]

While the Berlin School is often associated with a new turn towards realism and political cinema, Petzold's films, while they address issues of work and employment, also deal with conflicts between life and death. In Gespenster the protagonist leads a ghost-like existence.[9] In Yella the protagonist is, possibly, already dead at the beginning of the film. These three films came to be called the "Gespenster Trilogy".[10]

The 2008 film Jerichow was his fourth collaboration with Nina Hoss after Something to Remind Me (German: Toter Mann), Wolfsburg and Yella. The drama concerns a soldier who, having returned from Afghanistan to Prignitz, becomes involved in a relationship with a married woman. The movie was nominated in the main competition at the 65th Venice International Film Festival in 2008. In 2009, Petzold received a 'best director' nomination for the Deutscher Filmpreis award.[11]

Although more famous as a director of film and television, Petzold has also staged Arthur Schnitzler's The Lonely Way (German: Der einsame Weg) at the Deutsches Theater following an invitation by Oliver Reese. The drama, with Nina Hoss as protagonist, premiered on March 14, 2009.[12]

Petzold in 2018

Petzold's film Barbara competed in competition at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival[13] and Petzold won the Silver Bear for Best Director.[4] The film was selected as the German entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist.[14] The film became Petzold's greatest box office success, grossing $4,129,250 worldwide.[15]

Filmography

Feature films
Year Title Credited as Notes
Director Writer
2000 The State I Am In Yes Yes Part 1 of the "Ghosts" Trilogy[16]
2003 Wolfsburg Yes Yes
2005 Ghosts Yes Yes Part 2 of the "Ghosts" Trilogy[16]
2007 Yella Yes Yes Part 3 of the "Ghosts" Trilogy[16]
2008 Jerichow Yes Yes
2012 Barbara Yes Yes Part 1 of the "Love in Times of Oppressive Systems" Trilogy[16]
2014 Phoenix Yes Yes Part 2 of the "Love in Times of Oppressive Systems" Trilogy[16]
2018 Transit Yes Yes Part 3 of the "Love in Times of Oppressive Systems" Trilogy[16]
2020 Undine Yes Yes
2023 Afire Yes Yes
Other work
Year Title Credited as Notes
Director Writer
1988 Ich arbeite alles ab... Ehrenwort! Yes No Short film
1990 Süden Yes Yes Documentary short; Also cinematographer and editor
1991 Ostwärts Yes Yes Documentary short; Also cinematographer
1992 The Warm Money Yes Yes Short film
1995 Pilots Yes Yes TV movie
1996 Cuba Libre Yes Yes
1998 The Sex Thief Yes Yes
2001 Something to Remind Me Yes Yes
2011 Dreileben - Beats Being Dead Yes Yes
2015–18 Police call 110 Yes Yes TV series; 3 episodes

Accolades

Petzold with the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize for Afire, at Berlinale 2023
Year Award Nominated work Category Result Ref.
2003 Berlin International Film Festival Wolfsburg FIPRESCI Prize Won
2005 Gespenster Golden Bear Nominated [17]
2007 Yella Nominated [18]
2012 Barbara Nominated [19]
Silver Bear for Best Director Won
Reader Jury of the "Berliner Morgenpost" Won
2018 Transit Golden Bear Nominated [20]
2020 Undine Nominated [21]
FIPRESCI Prize Won
2023 Afire Golden Bear Nominated [22]
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize Won
2012 European Film Awards Barbara Best Film Nominated [23]
People's Choice Award Nominated
2020 Undine Best Film Nominated [24]
2000 Venice Film Festival The State I Am In Cinema of the Present - Lion of the Year Nominated [25]
2008 Jerichow Golden Lion Nominated [26]

References

  1. ↑ Fisher, Jaimey; Abel, Marco. "Christian Petzold: A Dossier". Senses of Cinema. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  2. ↑ Thompson, Anne (6 June 2021). "'Undine' Director Christian Petzold's 7 Tips for a Successful Career". IndieWire. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  3. ↑ Swen, Ryan (2 June 2021). "Barbara: Christian Petzold". In Review Online. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Prizes of the International Jury 2012". Berlinale. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  5. ↑ Interview on DVD Die innere Sicherheit
  6. 1 2 Krakenberg, Jasmin (September 2017). "Moving Portraits: Christian Petzold and The Art of Portraiture". Senses of Cinema.
  7. ↑ Fisher, Jaimey (July 2013). "Christian Petzold". Senses of Cinema.
  8. ↑ Rothhler, Simon; Pethke, Stefan; Pantenburg, Volker; Knrer, Ekkehard; Baute, Michael (July 2010). "The Berlin School – A Collage". Senses of Cinema.
  9. ↑ Petzold im Interview auf der Webpräsenz des Films Gespenster
  10. ↑ Filmzentrale: „Im Zwischenreich“
  11. ↑ Welt Online, 13. März 2009: „Deutscher Filmpreis: Die Nominierungen im Überblick“
  12. ↑ Frankfurter Rundschau, S-Ausgabe, vom 16. März 2009, Seite 21, und Deutsches Theater Berlin Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ "Press Release, 9th Jan". berlinale.de. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  14. ↑ "Germany's Oscar entry is Christian Petzold's Barbara". Screendaily. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  15. ↑ "Phoenix". Box Office Mojo. 15 November 2015.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gray, Carmen. "Where to begin with Christian Petzold". BFI.org. British Film Institute. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  17. ↑ "55TH BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 10 - 20, 2005". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  18. ↑ "57TH BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 8 - 18, 2007". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  19. ↑ "62ND BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 09 - 19, 2012". berlinale.de. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  20. ↑ "Competition and Berlinale Special Are Complete". 6 February 2018. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  21. ↑ "The 70th Berlinale Competition and Further Films to Complete the Berlinale Special". Berlinale. Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  22. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman; Vivarelli, Nick (23 January 2023). "Berlin Film Festival Reveals Competition Lineup (Updating Live)". Variety. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  23. ↑ Staff writer (1 September 2011). "People's Choice Award 2012: Polls Are Now Open". europeanfilmacademy.org. European Film Awards. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  24. ↑ "European Film Academy : Nominations for the European Film Awards 2020". www.europeanfilmacademy.org. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  25. ↑ "57th Mostra - Cinema del Presente". labiennale.org. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  26. ↑ Vivarelli, Nick (29 July 2008). "Venice Film Fest announces slate". Variety. Archived from the original on 14 August 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2008.
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