Frauke Finsterwalder facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Frauke Finsterwalder
Finsterwalder in 2023
Born	(1975-12-15) 15 December 1975 (age 50) Hamburg, West Germany
Occupation	Film director and screenwriter
Years active	2005–present
Spouse(s)	Christian Kracht ​ (before 2010)​
Children	1

Frauke Finsterwalder is a talented German film director and screenwriter. She was born on December 15, 1975. Frauke has made many short films and documentaries. Her first big movie, Finsterworld, came out in 2013. For her second major film, Sisi & I, released in 2023, she won an important award. She received the Bavarian Film Award for Best Director.

Early Life and Education

Frauke Finsterwalder spent some of her childhood in the United States. Later, she studied literature and history. She attended Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.

Starting Her Career

Before becoming a director, Frauke worked in theaters. She was an assistant director at the Volksbühne and Maxim Gorki Theatre in Berlin. She also worked as an editor for a German newspaper called Süddeutsche Zeitung. After this, she went back to school. She studied how to direct documentary films in Munich. In 2005, she directed her first short film, called 0.003 km.

Frauke Finsterwalder gets ideas for her films from other directors. She likes movies by Wes Anderson, Terrence Malick, and Paul Verhoeven. She often works with actress Sandra Hüller. She also frequently works with editor Andreas Menn.

Making Documentary Films

Frauke Finsterwalder has directed several interesting documentary films.

Because a Man is Human

After her first short film, Frauke worked with Stephan Hilpert. They directed a documentary called Weil der Mensch ein Mensch ist. This title means 'Because a man is human'. The film's name comes from a song by Bertolt Brecht. This documentary talks about teaching young people about democracy. When it was released in 2007, many people liked it.

The Great Pyramid

In 2010, Frauke directed her second documentary. It was called Die große Pyramide, which means 'The Great Pyramid'. This film follows a group of young men. They planned to build the biggest structure ever made by humans. It would be a giant pyramid in eastern Germany. This pyramid would be a tourist spot. It would also be a resting place for many people.

Her First Big Movie: Finsterworld

Frauke Finsterwalder's first full-length movie was Finsterworld. She wrote it with Swiss writer Christian Kracht. The film first showed at the Munich Film Festival in July 2013.

The movie tells the stories of twelve main characters. Many talented actors played these roles. Some of them include Sandra Hüller, Jakub Gierszał, and Ronald Zehrfeld.

Awards for Finsterworld

Finsterworld was shown in many countries. It received great reviews from critics. It won the Zenith Award for best first film. This award was given at the Montréal World Film Festival. It also won Best Feature Film at the Cologne Conference.

At the 2013 Zurich Film Festival, Frauke won a Golden Eye award. This was for Best German Language Film. She also received the Swiss Film Critics’ Award. The movie won Best Picture at the 2014 Vancouver International Women In Film Festival. It also won best female-directed story at the 2014 Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Finsterworld was nominated for five awards at the 2014 Deutscher Filmpreis. These are like the German Academy awards. Sandra Hüller won an award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film.

Her Latest Movie: Sisi & I

Frauke Finsterwalder's next big movie is Sisi & I. This film tells the story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. It shows her later years from the view of her lady-in-waiting, Irma Sztáray.

The movie features many well-known actors. Sandra Hüller, who was in Finsterworld, is also in this film. Other actors include Susanne Wolff and Tom Rhys Harries. The film first showed at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on February 19, 2023. It was released in Germany on March 30, 2023.

In June 2023, Frauke Finsterwalder won an award for Sisi & I. She received the Bavarian Film Award for Best Director.

Personal Life

Frauke Finsterwalder is married to the Swiss writer Christian Kracht. They have a daughter who was born in 2009. Since 2020, the family has been living in Zurich, Switzerland.

Filmography

Frauke Finsterwalder has directed several films.

Feature Films

• 2013: Finsterworld
• 2023: Sisi & I

Documentaries

• 2007: Because a Man is Human
• 2010: The Great Pyramid

Short Film

• 2005: 0.003 km

Television

• 2007: Fremde Kinder (TV series, 1 episode)

Awards and Nominations

Frauke Finsterwalder has received several awards for her work.