Christian Petzold

Christian Petzold (born September 14, 1960; Hilden) is a German filmmaker, best known for directing the films Barbara, Jerichow, and Phoenix. He is credited to the Berlin School and has received numerous prizes and awards. Petzold writes his own scenarios, often collaborating with Harun Farocki. 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. 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. His first film was "Pilots" (1995), which he directed for his film school graduation in 1995. While "The State I Am In" (2000) was his first feature film, also noting his first collaboration with Harun Farocki. In 2005, his film "Ghosts"was presented at the Berlin International Film Festival, as was his 2007 film "Yella". Petzold's film Barbara (2012) competed in competition at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival and Petzold won the Silver Bear for Best Director. 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. For the film Afire (2023), Christian Petzold received the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival in 2023.

Christian Petzold is known for work in directing across film and television. New Release currently presents 25 verified screen credits connected to this profile. Selected work includes 19 Portraits (1990), Volle Kanne (1999), Polizeiruf 110 (1971), German Film Award (1951), Grimme Award (1964), Romy Award (1990), Bavarian Film Awards (1979), Deutscher Fernsehpreis (1999). The recorded credits span 1951 to 2025, including 15 movies and 10 TV shows. The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles. This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.