Edward Berger facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Edward Berger
Berger in 2024
Born	1970 (age 54–55) Wolfsburg, West Germany
Citizenship	Swiss / Austrian
Education	Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig (1991) Tisch School of the Arts (1994)
Occupation	Film director producer screenwriter
Years active	1994–present
Works	Deutschland 83 (2015) All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) Patrick Melrose (2018) Conclave (2024)

Edward Berger (born in 1970) is a talented film director and screenwriter. He was born in Germany but also holds Swiss and Austrian citizenship. He is famous for directing movies like Jack (2014) and the highly acclaimed All Quiet on the Western Front (2022). He has also directed popular TV shows such as Deutschland 83 (2015) and Patrick Melrose (2018).

For his work on All Quiet on the Western Front, Berger won three British Academy Film Awards. He was also nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay. The film itself won several Academy Awards, including Best International Feature Film. More recently, Berger received nominations for Best Director for his film Conclave, including his first Golden Globe nomination.

Edward Berger's Early Life and Education

Edward Berger was born in 1970 in Wolfsburg, which was then part of West Germany. His mother was from Switzerland, and his father was from Austria. His father worked as a manager at Volkswagen. Edward grew up in a regular family with three brothers and sisters.

After finishing high school at Theodor-Heuss-Gymnasium, he studied at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig from 1990 to 1991. He then moved to the United States to study directing at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. He completed his studies there in 1994.

In 1997, he moved to Berlin, Germany. Because of his parents, Edward has both Swiss and Austrian citizenship. He considers himself European and supports Germany in sports, even though he doesn't have a German passport.

Edward Berger's Career in Film and TV

Berger at the 2018 Berlinale

Edward Berger has worked a lot in both Germany and the United States. He started his career at an American film company called Good Machine. There, he learned from famous directors like Ang Lee. By 1994, he was in charge of the production department. He also taught film at universities like Columbia University and Universität der Künste Berlin.

His first full-length movie, which he also wrote, was Gomez – Kopf oder Zahl (meaning "Gomez – Heads or Tails") in 1998. In 2002, he directed a TV movie called Asylum, which was nominated for an International Emmy Award. He also wrote and directed another TV movie, Welcome to the Club, in 2004.

In 2008, he worked on the TV series KDD – Kriminaldauerdienst (KDD – Berlin Crime Squad). In 2012, his film A Good Summer [de] won the Grimme-Preis, a big German TV award.

Berger co-wrote his third movie, Jack, with his wife, Nele Mueller-Stöfen [de]. This film was shown at the 2014 Berlinale film festival. It won the 2015 German Film Award for best film. Berger likes to challenge himself with his films. For Jack, he kept the camera focused on the main character's face. This made the audience really feel what the boy was going through.

In 2014, Berger directed Deutschland 83, an eight-part TV series. It was shown at the 2015 Berlinale and became the first German TV show to air in the US. The series won an International Emmy in 2016.

He also directed the TV series Patrick Melrose (2018), starring Benedict Cumberbatch. For this series, Berger won his first BAFTA Award for Best Limited Series.

In 2022, Berger wrote, directed, and produced All Quiet on the Western Front. This movie received more Oscar nominations than any other German film before it. It won seven BAFTAs and the Academy Award for Best International Film. Critics around the world loved the film. However, some German reviewers felt it wasn't completely accurate to the original book or history.

His 2024 film, Conclave, was a big success. It's a drama about a secret meeting in the Holy See. Berger said making Conclave was like going "from a physical war to an intellectual war" compared to All Quiet on the Western Front.

His next film, The Ballad of a Small Player, is set to be released in 2025. It will star famous actors like Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton. There have also been talks about him directing a new film in the Bourne series, but it's not yet confirmed.

Edward Berger has also directed music videos and short films about artists.

Edward Berger's Personal Life

Edward Berger is married to actress and screenwriter Nele Mueller-Stöfen [de]. She was born in Berlin in 1967. Nele has acted in plays and movies. She has also worked with Edward on the script for his film Jack and starred in some of his other films.

Filmography

Film

Television

TV series

• 2001, 2002: Schimanski (2 episodes)
• 2004: Bloch (Episode "Schwestern")
• 2005, 2006: Unter Verdacht (Wrote 2 episodes, directed 1 episode)
• 2006: Tatort (Episode "Das letzte Rennen [de]")
• 2008: KDD – Kriminaldauerdienst (Director of 3 episodes and book with 2 episodes)
• 2010: Polizeiruf 110 (Wrote and directed episode "Aquarius")
• 2013: Tatort (Episode "Wer das Schweigen bricht [de]")
• 2015: Deutschland 83
• 2018: The Terror (Episodes 1, 2, 4)
• 2018: Patrick Melrose
• 2020: Your Honor

TV movies

• 2007: Windland
• 2011: A Good Summer [de] (screenwriter and director)
• 2012: Mom's Gotta Go [de] (director)

Awards and Nominations

Individual Recognition and Awards

• 2000: Variety magazine named him one of "Ten European Directors To Watch".
• 2017: Variety again listed him as one of "Ten European Directors To Watch".
• 2015: He received a special fellowship for an artist program at Villa Aurora with his wife.
• 2024: He received the "A Tribute to..." award at the Zurich Film Festival.

Awards for Jack (2014)

• 2014: Won Best Film and Best Director at the Deutscher Regiepreis Metropolis (German Directors Guild Awards).
• 2015: Won Best Young Producer at the Bavarian Film Awards.
• 2015: Won the German Film Prize in Silver for Best Feature Film.

Awards for All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

• 2022: Won National Board of Review Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
• 2022: Won San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
• 2023: Won BAFTA Award for Best Direction.
• 2023: Won BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
• 2023: Won Academy Award for Best International Film.
• 2022: Won Best Foreign Language Film at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award.
• 2023: Won German Film Award for Best Fiction Film at the Deutscher Filmpreis (German Film Awards), along with 7 other awards for the film.
• 2023: Won Jupiter Award for Best Film TV & Streaming.

Awards for Conclave (2024)

• 2025: Nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director.
• 2025: Nominated for many BAFTA Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
• 2024: Nominated for Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Drama.
• 2024: Nominated for Golden Globes for Best Director - Motion Picture.

Other Film and TV Awards

• 1998: Won the Film Prize of the City Lünen at the Kinofest Lünen for Gomez – Kopf oder Zahl.
• 2003: Nominated for the Grimme-Preis for the episode Asyl from the crime series Schimanski.
• 2004: Nominated for an International Emmy Award for the episode Asyl from Schimanski.
• 2008: Won Best Series at the German TV Awards for KDD.
• 2011: Nominated for the Grimme-Preis for Mutter muss weg (Mom's Gotta Go).
• 2012: Won the Grimme-Preis for Ein guter Sommer (A Good Summer).
• 2013: Nominated for the Hamburger Krimipreis for Mutter muss weg (Mom's Gotta Go).
• 2015: Won Best International Drama Series at the Series Mania TV awards in Paris for Deutschland 83.
• 2016: Won Goldene Kamera for Best Miniseries for Deutschland 83.
• 2016: Won Grimme-Preis for Deutschland 83.
• 2016: Won International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series for Deutschland 83.
• 2018: Nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series for Patrick Melrose.
• 2019: Won BAFTA Award for Best Mini-series for Patrick Melrose.
• 2019: Won Best TV Drama at the Edinburgh TV Festival for Patrick Melrose.

See also

In Spanish: Edward Berger para niños