#21: Benjamin Heisenberg

Benjamin Heisenberg is a German film director and screenwriter. He has directed sixteen films since 1995. His film Schläfer was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. His film, The Robber, was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. But Heisenberg started as visual artist finishing the Academy of Fine Arts Munich in 1998.

Benjamin Heisenberg shows and comment a selection of his video works from the period 1995 through 2010:

Es zogen einst…, 1995, 5:00 min
Hastewas Bistewas, 1997, 3:00 min
Der Bombenkönig, 2000, 20:00 min
Meier, Müller, Schmidt I, 2004, 2:00 min
La Paz, 2005, 20:00 min

 

Benjamin Heisenberg (b. 1974 in Tübingen, Germany) grew up in small village near Würzburg where his father was professor of neurobiology at the local university. After finishing school in 1993 he went to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. In 1995 he became assistant of Walther Grasskamp the professor for history of art at the art academy. He finished the Academy of Fine Arts in 1998, winning the “Debütantenpreis” for the three best students of the year. He exhibited several art videos before he came to write, direct and shoot his first narrative short film “Terremoto” in 1996. These first experiences with film convinced him to go into filmmaking. From 1997 to 2005 Benjamin Heisenberg studied film directing at the Munich Filmschool. Since then he has written and directed a number of feature films that have won a variety of international film awards, i.e. his film “Schläfer” was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival and 2010 “The Robber” was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. Heisenberg is co-editor and co-publisher of the German film magazine Revolver

Benjamin Heisenberg’s web site: www.benjaminheisenberg.com