Katja von Garnier was born December 15, 1966, in Wiesbaden as the daughter of a colour designer. In 1989, she started studying directing at the Academy for Television & Film (HFF) in Munich. Her breakthrough came in 1993 with the 60-minute student graduation film "Abgeschminkt" ("Making Up!"). The romantic comedy, starring a then widely unknown Katja Riemann, attracted one million viewers. Her first feature-length film, "Bandits" (1998), told the story of four female prison inmates who form a band. Despite conflicting reviews, the road movie turned out to be a respectable hit at the box office.

In 1999, Garnier moved to Hollywood. After some rather silent years, the renowned pay TV channel HBO entrusted her with the direction of "Iron Jawed Angels", a drama movie about the women"s suffrage movement in the United States. In 2007, she returned to the big screen with the U.S.-produced vampire drama "Blood and Chocolate".