Born in Hilden, Germany in 1960, Petzold is a world-renowned filmmaker, often associated with the Berlin School movement and considered to be the modern master of suspense. He studied German and drama at Freie Universität Berlin and film at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB). He directed his first feature film in 1995 and received international acclaim for his 2000 film The State I Am In, winning Gold at the German Film Awards. In 2012, he was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director for Barbara. In 2014, Phoenix won the Jury Award João Bénard da Costa at LEFFEST and, in 2019, the festival paid tribute to the filmmaker by organising a retrospective of his work. His most recent feature film Afire won the Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival.
Christian Petzold
Filmmaker and Screenwriter
