"It is simply nice to see that somebody like him has succeeded in setting up and getting ‘Lindenstraße' up and running, in spite of everything going against him. This has made Hans W. Geißendörfer unique today. There is nobody else like him in the world of German producers".
(From the citation in support of the award of the Adolf Grimme Special 2001 prize by the jury to Hans W. Geißendörfer)
PROFILE
Born April 1941 in Augsburg, Bavaria.
University student in Marburg, Erlangen, Vienna and Zurich from 1962 to 1967 reading German studies, theatre studies, psychology and African languages.
Active in student theatre. First 16 mm documentaries and underground films.
Travels in Europe, Asia and Africa after university. 1968 first assistant directorship under George Moorse.
1969 directorial debut: „DER FALL LENA CHRIST“ (TV b/w, 90 min.)
FILM AWARDS/NOMINATIONS:
1970: Filmband in Gold for JONATHAN
1976: Filmband in Silver for STERNSTEINHOF
1978: Filmband in Gold for DIE GLÄSERNE ZELLE
1982: Filmband in Silver for DER ZAUBERBERG
1979: „OSCAR“ nomination for DIE GLÄSERNE ZELLE
1993: „GOLDEN GLOBE“ nomination for JUSTIZ
2005 Montreal World Film Festival: Special Jury Prize for SCHNEELAND
2005 Autrans International Mountain Film Festival: Special Jury Prize for SCHNEELAND
2008 Max Ophüls awards “Best Film” and “Best Film Score” for SELBSTGESPRÄCHE
2008 Locarno International Film Festival: “Leopard” for “Best Actor” to Tayanc Ayaydin in PAZAR - DER MARKT
2008 Ghent Film Festival: “Best Film” for PAZAR – DER MARKT
2008 Antalya Film Festival: Awards for “Best Screenplay”, “Best Actor” and “Best Costume Design” for PAZAR – DER MARKT
2008 International Short Film Festival Berlin: “Best Youth Short” for PLAY TIME
2010 Cannes International Film Festival: “Golden Palm” for UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES as “Best Film”
TV and MEDIA AWARDS:
• „Bambi“ (1988) and „Goldene Kamera“ (1998) for LINDENSTRASSE
• „Adolf-Grimme-Preis in Gold“, creator and producer of LINDENSTRASSE (2001)
• „Bobby“ – Media award by the federal Lebenshilfe association for particular merit in gaining recognition for disabled people within society (2001)
• „Preis für Dialog und Toleranz“ awarded by the charity Deutscher Päritätischer Wohlfahrtverband (2004)
• „Lifetime achievement award“ as part of the 2006 DVD Champions Awards
Filmography Cinema
2010 IN DER WELT HABT IHR ANGST (In the World you have fear)
Writer and director
2005 SCHNEELAND (Snowlands)
Writer and director
1993 JUSTIZ (Justice)
Writer and director
1992 GUDRUN
Director
1989 BUMERANG BUMERANG
Director
1983 EDITHS TAGEBUCH (Edith’s Diary)
Writer (after a novel by Patricia Highsmith) and director
1981 DER ZAUBERBERG (Magic Mountain)
Writer (after a novel by Thomas Mann) and director
1978 DIE GLÄSERNE ZELLE (The Glass Cell)
Writer (with Klaus Bädekerl, based on themes taken from a Patricia Highsmith novel) and director
1976 DIE WILDENTE (The Wild Duck)
Writer (after a play by Henrik Ibsen) and director
1976 STERNSTEINHOF
Writer (with Hermann Weigel after a novel
by Ludwig Anzengruber) and director
1970 JONATHAN
Writer and director
Filmography TV
Seit 1985 LINDENSTRASSE (series)
Writer and director
1979 THEODOR CHINDLER (series)
Writer (after a novel by Bernhard von Brentano) and director
1975 LOBSTER (series)
Idea and director
1974 PERAHIM – DIE ZWEITE CHANCE
Writer (with Bernd Eichinger and Ulli Edel) and director
1973 DIE ELTERN
Writer (with Klaus Bädekerl and Bernd Eichinger) and director
1972 MARIE
Buch (mit Klaus Bädekerl) and director
1971 CARLOS
Writer (loosely based on the novel Don Carlos
by Friedrich Schiller) and director
1970 EINE ROSE FÜR JANE
Writer and director
1970 DER FALL LENA CHRIST
Writer and director
Production Work
2011 BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO (Motion Picture directed by Peter Strickland)
DER DEUTSCHE FREUND (Motion Picture directed by Jeanine Meerapfel)
2010 IN DER WELT HABT IHR ANGST (In the World you have fear)
(Motion Picture)
DER SOMMER DER GAUKLER (Motion Picture directed by Marcus H. Rosenmüller)
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES
(Motion Picture directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul)I
HERMANN (Short Film, Director: Hana Geissendoerfer)
2009 IM KOPFSTAND ZUM GLUECK
(Documentary, Director: Irene Graef)
15 METER (Short Film, Director: Erkan Gündüz)
2008 SELBSTGESPRÄCHE (Soliloquies)
(Motion Picture, Director: André Erkau)
PAZAR – DER MARKT (Pazar – The Market)
(Motion Picture, Director: Ben Hopkins)
ANNE PERRY – INTERIORS
(Documentary, Director: Dana Linkiewicz)
MARION (Short Film, Director: Hana Geissendoerfer)
NO ESCAPE (Short Film, Director: Til Martinsen)
2007 ZELLE (Cell)
(Motion Picture, Director: Bijan Benjamin)
PLAY TIME (Short Film, Director: Hana Geissendoerfer)
DER STREIT (Short Film, Director: Laura Fischer)
2006 PIK & AMADEUS – FREUNDE WIDER WILLEN, TV movie
2005 SCHNEELAND, Motion Picture by Hans W. Geißendörfer
2003 FOOTPRINTS (Documentary Director: Ben Hopkins)
2000 THE NINE LIVES OF TOMAS KATZ
(Motion Picture, Director: Ben Hopkins)
1998 THE DOLPHINS OF DOUBTFUL SOUND (long-term documentary)
1997 DER ARCHITEKT (The Architect) (35 mm short)
DER SCHAFSDIEB (The Sheep Thief) (35 mm short)
1996 DIE 5. PROVINZ (The 5th province) (motion picture)
1995 NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT DAY (Short Film)
1994 LOADED / BLOODY WEEKEND (Motion Picture)
1993 JUSTIZ (Motion Picture)
1993 RULES OF THE ROAD (Documentary)
1992 THE FINAL PUFF (Documentary)
1992 GUDRUN (Motion Picture)
1990/91 WOLKEN ÜBER DEM BAIKALSEE (Clouds over Lake Baikal) (Documentary)
1989 IM JAHR DER SCHILDKRÖTE (In the Year of the Tortoise)
(Motion Picture)
1988 BUMERANG BUMERANG (Motion Picture)
since 1985 LINDENSTRASSE (Series)
1983 EDITHS TAGEBUCH (Motion Picture)