Gregor Schnitzler, born in 1964 in Berlin, studied at the HdK arts academy in Berlin. He worked as a stills photographer and made, as of 1990, music clips and commercials, completing a total of 65 by 1997. From 1994 on directed several episodes of TV series. These were followed by the experimental feature "Finnlandia" (1999, co-directed by Eleni Ampelakiotou) as well as the comedies "Was tun, wenn"s brennt?" (2002) and "Soloalbum" (2003).

After the TV film "Doppelter Einsatz" (2004) he completed his fourth feature film, "The Cloud", in 2006. The following year, he directed the TV drama "Ich bin eine Insel" about a former teacher, whose reclusive lifestyle is undermined by a neglected girl looking for help. After the thriller "Die Hitzewelle – Keiner kann entkommen" (TV, 2008) and two feature-length episodes of the series "Tatort", Schnitzler returned to the big screen: in the tragicomedy "Resturlaub" (2011), based on the eponymous novel by Tommy Jaud, a man tries to overcome his midlife crises by escaping to Buenos Aires.