Born in Hamburg on January 20, 1965, Matthias Glasner used to work at the Hamburg State Opera and as a film projectionist. He has lived abroad in Russia and Texas. In 1983, he started making films with Birgit Staudt, including "Schicksal und Zufall" (1990). Whilst also working as a musician in the band "homesweethome", Glasner founded the Jack Film & Musikproduktion company in 1993. In 1994/95, he directed "Die Mediocren", a movie depicting the complicated love-lives of two women and two men. He followed this work with "Sexy Sadie" (1996), his first collaboration with his friend Jürgen Vogel (with whom he had founded the film production company Schwarzweiss Filmproduktion). In "Sexy Sadie", Jürgen Vogel played a serial killer who escapes from prison after a doctor tells him that he only has a few more days to live.

In the following years, Glasner directed several TV crime thrillers, including an episode for the German series "Schimanski" (2000). His next work for cinema was the gangster-themed drama "Fandango" (2000), starring Nicolette Krebitz and Moritz Bleibtreu. After directing a couple of more TV movies as well as an episode for the compilation movie "99 Euro Films" (2001), Glasner returned to the big screen in 2006. "Der freie Wille" ("The Free Will"), a provocative drama about a rapist who tries in vain to lead a normal life, won him the Prize of the Guild of German Arthouse Cinemas at the Berlinale 2006. As leading actor, author and producer, Jürgen Vogel was awarded the Silver Bear for Artistic Contribution.