Josef Rusnak (born 25 November 1958) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

screenwriter and director.

Early life

Rusnak was born on 25 November 1958 in Wachtroj,

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, into a German family. His family belonged to the

Russia Germans Russia Germans or Germans from Russia (, literally "Russia Germans"; or , literally "Russian Germans"), are ethnic Germans or their descendants who were born in Russia or in the Soviet Union. The term literally "Russia Germans" in Germanis oft ...

. They later moved to

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 ...

, where Rusnak grew up in

Pforzheim Pforzheim () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany. It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the ...

. He initially studied German in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

but after one year switched to the

University of Television and Film Munich The University of Television and Film Munich (German: Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München, short: HFF Munich) is a publicly funded film school in Munich, Germany. The school was established in 1966 by decree of the Bavarian government. T ...

, in the Department of Documentary Film.

Career

Rusnak's debut as writer and director was his 1984 film ''Cold Fever'', which was awarded 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 ...

for best director that same year. Following this, he worked for French television and directed episodes of television series. In 1997, he directed ''No Strings Attached'', ''

Quiet Days in Hollywood ''Quiet Days in Hollywood'' (also known as ''The Way We Are'') is a 1997 German drama film written by Robert G. Brown and Josef Rusnak and directed by Rusnak. The film stars Hilary Swank, Chad Lowe, and Natasha Gregson Wagner. Plot The plot fea ...

'' (starring

Hilary Swank Hilary Ann Swank (born July 30, 1974) is an American actress and film producer. She first became known in 1992 for her role on the television series '' Camp Wilder'' and made her film debut with a minor role in ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (19 ...

), and ''Schimanski: Die Schwadron'', a TV film episode of the German crime series ''

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 ...

''. In 1998, he worked as second unit director on

Roland Emmerich Roland Emmerich (; born 10 November 1955) is a German-American filmmaker. Emmerich is widely known for his science fiction and disaster films and has been called a "master of disaster" within the movie industry. His films, most of which are Eng ...

's ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

''. Emmerich then acted as producer on Rusnak's next film ''

The Thirteenth Floor ''The Thirteenth Floor'' is a 1999 science fiction film written and directed by Josef Rusnak and produced by Roland Emmerich’s Centropolis Entertainment. Loosely based on Daniel F. Galouye’s 1964 novel, '' Simulacron-3,'' it is a remake o ...

'', an English language remake of the earlier German TV miniseries ''

World on a Wire ''World on a Wire'' () is a 1973 West Germany, West German science fiction Serial (radio and television), television serial, starring Klaus Löwitsch and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Shot in 16 mm film, 16 mm, it was made for West German ...

''. Rusnak also wrote the screenplay. Rusnak did not direct his next film until 2007's '' The Contractor'' starring

Wesley Snipes Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor and martial artist. In a film career spanning more than thirty years, Snipes has appeared in a variety of genres, such as numerous thrillers, dramatic feature films, and comedies, th ...

. He worked with Snipes again on 2008's '' The Art of War II: Betrayal''. In 2009 he also released the horror remake '' It's Alive'', a remake of

Larry Cohen Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936 – March 23, 2019) was an American filmmaker. He originally emerged as the writer of blaxploitation films such as ''Black Caesar (film), Black Caesar'' and ''Hell Up in Harlem'' (both 1973), before becomin ...

's 1974 film. In 2010 he directed the drama ''Valerie'' starring

Franka Potente Franka Potente (; born 22 July 1974) is a German actress. She first appeared in the comedy film '' After Five in the Forest Primeval'' (1995), for which she won a Bavarian Film Award for Best Young Actress. Her breakthrough came in 1998, when s ...

. In 2012, he directed the film '' Beyond''. Rusnak was married to actress

Claudia Michelsen Claudia Michelsen (born 4 February 1969) is a German actress. She was born in Dresden and is based in Berlin. She has appeared in more than eighty films since 1989. Selected filmography References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Michelsen ...

until 2001. They have one daughter together, born 1996.

Filmography

* 1984: ''Cold Fever'' * 1997: ''No Strings Attached'' * 1997: ''

'' * 1997: ''Schimanski: Die Schwadron'' (TV) * 1999: ''

'' * 2007: '' The Contractor'' * 2008: '' The Art of War II: Betrayal'' * 2009: '' It's Alive'' * 2010: ''Valerie'' ''Small Lights'' * 2010: ''Perfect Life'' * 2012: '' Beyond'' * 2019: '' Berlin, I Love You''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rusnak, Josef 1958 births German mass media people Living people Best Director German Film Award winners Russian and Soviet-German people