Edward Berger (; born 1970) is a

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

and

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

director and screenwriter. He is known for his work in Germany, where he was born and grew up, such as the German films ''

Jack Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, incl ...

'' (2014), ''All My Loving'' (2019), and ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' (2022), as well as his English-language debut ''

Conclave A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Concerns around ...

'' (2024). He also directed several television series including ''

Deutschland 83 ''Deutschland 83'' is a 2015 German spy thriller television series starring Jonas Nay as a 24-year-old native of East Germany who is sent to West Germany in 1983 as an undercover spy for the HVA, the foreign intelligence agency of the Stasi. I ...

'' (2015) and '' Patrick Melrose'' (2018). For ''All Quiet on the Western Front,'' Berger accepted an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for Best International Film, while it was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, and won three

British Academy Film Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

as well. For Conclave, Berger also received several accolades, including his first

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

nomination for Best Director and a

British Academy Film Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

for

Outstanding British Film The BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film is a film award given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. The award was first given at the 1st British Academy Film Awards, fir ...

Early life and education

Edward Berger was born in 1970 in

Wolfsburg Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian language, Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth-largest city in the Germany, German state of Lower Saxony, on the river Aller (Germany), Aller east of Hanover and west of Berlin. Wolfsburg is famous as the locat ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

, then

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. His mother was from Switzerland, and his father, who worked as a logistics manager at

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

, was from Austria. He grew up in a middle-class family with three siblings. Berger graduated from Theodor-Heuss-Gymnasium in Wolfsburg in the late 1980s. After graduating from the Gymnasium, he attended the

Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig The Braunschweig University of Art (Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig, HBK) is the second largest fine arts college in Germany. History The history goes back to the “Zeichnen-Instithut” (Drawing Institute) founded by the Bruns ...

from 1990 to 1991. He then transferred to the

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, where he finished his studies in directing in 1994. bei der Agentur ''Die Agenten'', retrieved, 20 January 2014 He moved to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

in 1997. Berger has both Swiss and Austrian citizenship through his parents. Includes link to audio. He told ''

Die Welt (, ) is a German national daily newspaper, published as a broadsheet by Axel Springer SE. is the flagship newspaper of the Axel Springer publishing group and it is considered a newspaper of record in Germany. Its leading competitors are the ...

'' in 2023 that while he is not German by passport, he supports Germany in international football tournaments. "If Germany plays Switzerland, I'm for Germany", he told ''Variety''. He told ''

Die Zeit (, ) is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History The first edition of was ...

'' in 2023: "My father is Austrian, my mother Swiss, so there would be enough reason for me to be a little confused. What I always know is: I am European".

Career

Berger has worked mostly in Germany and the United States. He gathered his first work experience at the U.S. independent production company

Good Machine Good Machine Productions was an American independent film production, film distribution, and foreign sales company started in the early 1990 by its co-founders and producers, Ted Hope and James Schamus. David Linde joined as a partner in the l ...

, working, among others, on the films of

Ang Lee Ang Lee (; born October 23, 1954) is a Taiwanese filmmaker. His films are known for their emotional charge and exploration of repressed, hidden emotions. During his career, he has received international critical and popular acclaim and List o ...

Todd Haynes Todd Haynes (; born January 2, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films span four decades with themes examining the personalities of well-known musicians, dysfunctional and dystopian societies, and blurred gender ...

, and

Edward Burns Edward Fitzgerald Burns (born January 29, 1968) is an American actor and filmmaker. He rose to fame with '' The Brothers McMullen'' (1995), his low-budget independent film that became successful worldwide. His other film appearances include '' ...

. In 1994 he headed the production department of the company. In 1996 he gave a guest lecture at Columbia University film school, and at

Universität der Künste Berlin The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the second largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research uni ...

and at the HFF Potsdam. His first feature film, based on his own screenplay, was ''Gomez – Kopf oder Zahl'' ("Gomez – Heads or Tails"), in 1998. In 2002, he directed a telemovie called ''Asylum'', which was nominated for the

International Emmy Award The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York City, New York–based International Academy of Televisi ...

as well as the

Grimme-Preis The Grimme-Preis (Grimme Award), formerly known as the Adolf-Grimme-Preis, is one of the most prestigious German television awards. It is named after the first general director of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Adolf Grimme. The Grimme Institute ...

in Germany. In 2004, he wrote and directed a telemovie, ''Welcome to the Club''. In 2008, he worked as a screenwriter and director for four episodes of season 2 of television series ''

KDD – Kriminaldauerdienst ''KDD – Berlin Crime Squad'', German title ''KDD – Kriminaldauerdienst'' is a German television series that was broadcast from 2007 to 2010. The series differs from typical police procedurals by focusing on the daily work life and the private ...

'' (''KDD – Berlin Crime Squad''). In 2012, his film ' was awarded the

. Berger co-wrote the script for his third feature film, ''

'' with regular collaborator (also his wife). The film premiered in competition at the 2014 Berlinale, and was awarded the 2015 German Film Award in silver for the best feature film, after being nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. It also won Best Director and Best Picture at the

German Directors Guild Awards The German Directors Guild (German: Bundesverband Regie; BVR) is an association representing film and television directors in Germany. Its functions include protection of their members' rights to assert authorship; minimum fees; filming conditio ...

. Berger said in 2023 that he has always looked for a challenge in filmmaking: "That started with ''Jack'', where the camera was really only on the boy's face, because I didn't want to give the audience any choice but to identify with him". In August 2014, Berger directed the eight-part television series ''

'', which premiered as a special entry in the 2015 Berlinale. It was sold internationally, including to

Canal+ Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

in France and

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

in the UK, and became the first German television show ever to air in the US. The series won an

International Emmy The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sc ...

in 2016. He also directed the limited series '' Patrick Melrose'' (2018), starring

Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Benedict Cumberbatch, various accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurenc ...

, for which he won his first

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to f ...

, for Best Limited Series. Berger wrote, directed, and produced ''All Quiet on the Western Front'', released in 2022. The film received more Oscar nominations than any other German film before it (nine), after winning seven

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

s, surpassing the previous record of five set by ''

Cinema Paradiso ''Cinema Paradiso'' (, , ) is a 1988 Coming-of-age film, coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. Set in a small Sicilian town, the film centres on the friendship between a young boy and an aging projectionist ...

'' in 1988. At the Oscars, it won Best International Film. It was praised by critics internationally, but German reviewers and historians criticised it for its lack of closeness to the book and lack of historical accuracy. His 2024 film ''

'', a drama set in the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

based on a novel by Robert Harris, enjoyed great success, both critically and with audiences. He described the film compared with ''All Quiet on the Western Front'', as "like oingfrom a physical war to an intellectual war. It felt like one of those great political conspiracy thrillers from the 1970s".

Upcoming projects

His next film, due to be released in 2025, is '' The Ballad of a Small Player'', with

Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A Leading actor, leading man in blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films since the 2000s, he has received various List of awards and nominations received by Col ...

and

Tilda Swinton Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. She is known for playing eccentric and enigmatic characters, often working with auteurs. Her accolades include an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and a Volpi Cup, in addit ...

. Berger has been slated to direct the next film in the Bourne franchise (reportedly titled '' The Bourne Dilemma''). However, in October 2024 Berger was vague about his involvement in the film: "It's really not clear whether… I'm doing that film or not. I'm not doing it right now. And I really don't know what I will do in the future". Beger has signed to direct the science fiction thriller film ''The Barrier'', starring

Austin Butler Austin Robert Butler (born August 17, 1991) is an American actor, singer, and model. Butler began his career on television, first in roles on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, most notably on ''Zoey 101'' (2007–2008), and later on teen dramas, ...

and written by MacMillan Hedges, based on his own short story of the same name. Berger is also set to direct a film about

Evan Gershkovich Evan Gershkovich (born October26, 1991) is an American journalist and reporter at ''The Wall Street Journal'' covering Russia. Gershkovich graduated from Bowdoin College, majoring in philosophy and English and writing in student newspapers. He m ...

, with David Weil set to pen the script. Berger is also attached to direct ''The Riders'', starring

Brad Pitt William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...

and written by David Kajganich, based on the novel of the same name by

Tim Winton Timothy John Winton (born 4 August 1960) is an Australian writer. He has written novels, children's books, non-fiction books, and short stories. In 1997, he was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia, and has won the ...

. Berger has also directed and produced

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

s and artist film portraits.

Personal life

Berger is married to German actress . Mueller-Stöfen, born in Berlin in 1967, has acted on stage and screen, and is also a screenwriter. She has starred in several of Berger's films, as well as collaborating on the script of ''Jack''.

Filmography

Film

Television

TV series * 2001, 2002: ''

Schimanski Horst Schimanski is a fictional homicide detective with a leading role in the German crime television series ''Tatort'', as well as the spin-off ''Schimanski''. Portrayed by Götz George, the character made his debut in the 1981 episode and ap ...

'' (2 episodes) * 2004: ''

Bloch Bloch is a surname of German origin. Notable people with this surname include: A *Adele Bloch-Bauer (1881–1925), Austrian entrepreneur *Albert Bloch (1882–1961), American painter *Alexandre Bloch (1857–1919), French painter *Alfred Bloch ( ...

'' (Episode "Schwestern") * 2005, 2006: '' Unter Verdacht'' (Wrote 2 episodes, directed 1 episode) * 2006: ''

Tatort ("Crime Scene") is a German-language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with 30 feature-length episodes per year, making it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public-se ...

'' (Episode "") * 2008: ''

'' (Director of 3 episodes and book with 2 episodes) * 2010: ''

Polizeiruf 110 ''Polizeiruf 110'' ("Police call 110") is a long-running German-language detective television series. The name refers to the emergency telephone number of the ''Volkspolizei''. The first episode was broadcast 27 June 1971 in the German Democratic ...

'' (Wrote and directed episode "Aquarius") * 2013: ''Tatort'' (Episode "") * 2015: ''

'' * 2018: ''

The Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to ...

'' (Episodes 1, 2, 4) * 2018: '' Patrick Melrose'' * 2020: '' Your Honor'' TV movies * 1992: ''Strait-Jacket'' * 1993: ''Sidewalk Hotel'' * 1994: ''Schrottplatz Träumereien'' * 1995: ''Wanderbread'' * 1998: ''Gomez – Kopf oder Zahl'' * 2001: ''Female 2 Seeks Happy End'' * 2007: ''Windland'' * 2011: ' (screenwriter and director) * 2012: ' (director)

Awards and nominations

Individual recognition and awards

* 2000: ''Variety'' – Award "Ten European Directors To Watch", after ''Female 2 Seeks Happy End'' * 2017: ''Variety'' – "Ten European Directors To Watch in 2017" * 2015: Fellowship for

Villa Aurora The Villa Aurora, 520 Paseo Miramar, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, has been an artists' residence since 1995. It is the former home of the German Jewish author Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Marta. The Feuchtwangers bought this Spanish-style ...

artist-in-residence Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...

program, along with his wife * 2024: A Tribute to... award at the

Zurich Film Festival Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is an annual film festival that has been held in Zürich, Switzerland, since 2005. The festival's main focus is to promote emerging filmmakers from all over the world. In three competition categories only first, secon ...

''Jack'' (2014)

* 2014:

Deutscher Regiepreis Metropolis The German Directors Guild (German: Bundesverband Regie; BVR) is an association representing film and television directors in Germany. Its functions include protection of their members' rights to assert authorship; minimum fees; filming conditio ...

(

), Best Film and Best Director awards, for ''Jack'' * 2015:

Bavarian Film Awards The Bavarian Film Awards () are film awards given to German films in the state of Bavaria, awarded by the state government. Background and description The Bavarian Film Awards have been awarded annually since 1979 by the state government of Bav ...

, Best Young Producer, for ''Jack'' * 2015:

German Film Prize The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the German film industry. Besides being the most important ...

in Silver for the Best Feature Film for ''Jack'' (also nominated for Best Direction and Best Screenplay)

''All Quiet on the Western Front'' (2022)

* 2022:

National Board of Review Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The National Board of Review Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is an annual film award given (since 2003) by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New Y ...

for ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' * 2022: San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' * 2023:

BAFTA Award for Best Direction The BAFTA Award for Best Direction, formerly known as David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction, is a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to a ...

, for ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' * 2023:

BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is a film award presented annually at the British Academy Film Awards to a screenwriter for a specific film. It is awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), a British organisat ...

for ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' * 2023:

Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include stage plays, mus ...

for ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' (nominated) * 2022:

Best Foreign Language Film The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

, Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award, for ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' * 2023:

German Film Award for Best Fiction Film The German Film Award for Best Fiction Film () is the main award given for best German film at the annual Deutscher Filmpreis awards, the German national film awards. It has been held annually since 1951 in varying formats. As the constitution said ...

at the

Deutscher Filmpreis The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the Cinema of Germany, German film industry. Besides being ...

(German Film Awards), for ''All Quiet on the Western Front'', as well as 7 other awards * 2023: Jupiter Award, Best Film TV & Streaming, for ''All Quiet on the Western Front''

''Conclave'' (2024)

* 2025: Nominated,

Oscars The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence i ...

, for Best Picture, Actress in a Supporting Role, Costume Design, Original Score, Adapted Screenplay, Actor in a Leading Role, Film Editing, Production Design * 2025: Nominated,

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best Cinema of the United Kingdom, British and Worl ...

, Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Best Director, Adapted Screenplay, Leading Actor, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, Casting, Cinematography, Costume Design, Editing, Original Score, Production Design, Sound * 2024:

Golden Globes The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Januar ...

, Nominated, Best Motion Picture - Drama * 2024: Golden Globes, Nominated, Best Director - Motion Picture

Other film and TV awards

* 1998: Winner, Film Prize of the City Lünen at the Kinofest Lünen, for ''Gomez – Kopf oder Zahl'' * 2003: Nomination,

, for the episode ''Asyl'' – crime series ''Schimanski'' * 2004: Nomination,

for the episode ''Asyl'' – crime series ''Schimanski'' * 2008: Winner, Best Series, in the German TV Awards, for ''KDD'' * 2011: Nomination, Grimme-Preis, for ''Mutter muss weg'' (''Mom's Gotta Go'') * 2012: Winner, Grimme-Preis, for ''Ein guter Sommer'' (''A Good Summer'') * 2013: Nomination for the Hamburger Krimipreis for ''Mutter muss weg'' (''Mom's Gotta Go'') * 2015:

Series Mania Series Mania () is an international festival dedicated to television series, held annually in Lille, France. It is the largest TV series event in Europe and an important premiere platform. ''Series Mania'' comprises an institute of the same name ...

TV awards,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, Best International Drama Series, for ''Deutschland 83'' * 2016:

Goldene Kamera The Goldene Kamera ("Golden Camera") is an annual German film and television award, awarded by the Funke Mediengruppe. The award show was usually held in early February in Hamburg, but also took place in Berlin on occasion. It has been paused ...

, Best Miniseries, for ''

'' * 2016: Grimme-Preis, for ''

'' * 2016:

, Best Drama Series, for ''

'' * 2018: Nominated,

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series represents excellence in the category of limited series that are two or more episodes, with a total running time of at least 150 minutes. Criteria The program must tell a compl ...

, for '' Patrick Melrose'' * 2019:

for Best Mini-series, for ''Patrick Melrose'' * 2019: Edinburgh TV Festival, Best TV Drama, for ''Patrick Melrose''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berger, Edward 1970 births Living people Mass media people from Lower Saxony Best Director BAFTA Award winners Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Award winners Filmmakers who won the Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award People from Wolfsburg Directors of Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners Austrian film directors Swiss film directors Austrian film people Austrian filmmakers Swiss film people Swiss filmmakers Austrian people of Swiss descent Swiss people of Austrian descent