Maren Ade
Outstanding director - and an internationally significant producer
Maren Ade (born 12 December 1976) became internationally famous with ‘Toni Erdmann’ - it was the third feature-length film that she directed herself after ‘Der Wald vor lauter Bäumen’ and ‘Alle anderen’. What is often overlooked: In addition to her work as a director, Maren Ade is also one of the most exciting, innovative and successful producers in European cinema.
While still a student at the University of Television and Film (HFF) in Munich, she founded the production company Komplizen Film with Janine Jackowski in 1999, which has since been significantly involved in important cinema films. Maren Ade has (co-)produced highly acclaimed works by Ulrich Köhler, Barbara Albert, Benjamin Heisenberg, Miguel Gomes and Sonja Heiss, among others. Jonas Dornbach has also been a permanent producer at Komplizen Film since 2010 and a partner and managing director since 2014. In 2015, the team was honoured with the DEFA Foundation Award for outstanding achievements in German film.
Even after her success with ‘Toni Erdmann’, Maren Ade continued to make a decisive appearance as a producer, producing films such as ‘Western’ by Valeska Grisebachs, Ulrich Köhler's ‘In My Room’, Sebastian Schipper's ‘Roads’ and Vanessa's ‘Gut gegen Nordwind’. In summer 2019, Jackowski, Ade and Dornbach were awarded the Raimondo Rezzonico Prize at the Locarno Film Festival (Switzerland), one of the world's most prestigious honours for film producers, for their work on Komplizen Film.
Portrait picture Maren Ade: NFP/Komplizen Film, Photo: William Minke