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Veit Helmer, born in 1968 in Hanover, began experimenting with short films as a teenager. After finishing school, he first attended the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin before going on to study at the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF). In 1996, while still a student, he contributed to Wim Wenders' project "Die Gebrüder Skladanowsky" ("A Trick of the Light") as co-director, co-writer, and producer. Around the same time, he directed several short films, including the award-winning "Surprise!," which received the Murnau Short Film Award in 1997, among others.
Helmer made his feature film debut in 1999 with "Tuvalu," a surreal, fairy-tale-like film that screened at over 60 festivals worldwide and garnered numerous awards. He received the Bavarian Film Award that same year for Best New Director. His follow-up film, "Tor zum Himmel" ("Gate to Heaven", 2003), received a mixed response from critics and audiences. In 2005, Helmer took a turn toward documentary with "Behind the Couch – Casting in Hollywood," offering a detailed look into casting practices in the American film industry.
His third feature film, the comedy "Absurdistan," set in Azerbaijan, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008 and earned him a Special Award at the Bavarian Film Awards. Helmer continued to explore unusual settings in "Baikonur" (2011), transporting audiences to the Kazakh steppe, the site of the legendary Soviet spaceport, and a neighboring village.
With "Quatsch und die Nasenbärbande" ("Fiddlesticks", 2014), Helmer made another children’s film. The film follows a group of kindergartners who rebel against the consumerism taking over their village. It won Best Children’s Film at the Festival of German Film in Ludwigshafen and the Audience Award in the children’s section at the Zurich Film Festival. The film was released in German cinemas in autumn 2014 and went on to win the White Elephant Children’s Media Award at the Munich Film Festival in 2015.
Helmer’s next film, the whimsical romantic tale "Vom Lokführer, der die Liebe suchte..." ("The Bra", 2018), received the Hans Vogt Film Award at the Hof International Film Festival. His 2023 film "Gondola," a modern fairy tale without dialogue about a blossoming romance between two female gondola operators whose cabins cross paths daily, also garnered mostly positive reviews.
With "Akiko, der fliegende Affe" ("Akiko – The Flying Monkey"), Helmer once again wrote and directed a children’s film - this time about a young monkey who escapes from the zoo to find his relatives in the jungle. The film won Best Children’s Film at both the 2024 Gijón International Film Festival in Spain and the 2025 German Film Awards.