Katja von Garnier

German Films represents German cinema abroad. This means that we are also interested in German filmmakers who work internationally. Many German filmmakers are spread across the globe and work on a wide variety of international projects. We would like to introduce them briefly and ask them what they are currently working on.

Katja von Garnier – Director

Looking back on your beginnings, what advice would you give your younger self today?

Be less afraid. At the same time, I could learn a thing or two from my younger self in terms of that feeling of being unstoppable.

Was there a moment when you realized: Now I‘m really working internationally?

Yes – definitely. For me, it was when my first U.S. project came together: "Iron Jawed Angels". Suddenly I was working day-to-day with an American team and cast – Hilary Swank, Anjelica Huston, Patrick Dempsey, Julia Ormond on a story about two radical young women who fought to win women’s suffrage in the U.S. It was a dream, and every now and then I had to pinch myself. It was also an incredibly positive experience with HBO Films, and I felt very supported in making the film in the way I had hoped (contrary to what the usual Hollywood stories might lead you to expect). And then there was this wonderfully "international" moment, in the most human way, around the Golden Globes: Anjelica Huston won, and Hilary Swank and the film were nominated – when Hilary, between all the Golden Globe tables, briefly recited to me what she would have said if she’d won.

Is there an international experience that has permanently changed your approach?

Definitely my experience on "Iron Jawed Angels" – especially in the editing room. Like everything, it’s always a balancing act: trusting your own creative instinct, while also staying open when good, valuable feedback comes in. Of course, it depends on who your partners are.

But I remember sitting in the edit suite with my editor Hans Funck– whom I was able to bring over from Germany to the U.S.– and we had the notes on our first cut in front of us. I read them out to him one by one, and at first we just groaned. I’d made a commitment to myself to be open and to be a trustworthy partner, because I was never going to be forced to implement something that went against my will. So we started with the attitude of: 'Let’s just try it.'

And then we’d often sit there watching the new version and have to admit, 'Hmm… not bad,' or actually '… really good'– haha. I was simply surrounded by strong partners at HBO Films, and I learned to open up more – provided you share the same vision and there’s mutual trust. That pursuit of balance between my own instinct and openness is what I took away from the experience.

When does a project really feel meaningful to you today?

I think I’ve become more aware of the impact film can have. And I just hope that impact is a positive one – that something in someone resonates a little differently because of the film… maybe a little brighter.

Katja von Garnier gained early recognition in her native Germany for her film "Abgeschminkt" ("Making Up", 1993) which also won a student Academy Award. Both "Abgeschminkt" (1993) and follow up music film "Bandits" (1997), lensed from a woman’s point of view, were enormous successes with critics and at the box office. Variety chose Katja von Garnier as one of the "ten leading director’s to watch" based on "Bandits". Katja is known specifically for creating strong female characters in her films and being an actor’s director. In 2004, Katja directed "Iron Jawed Angels" for HBO. The movie, starring Hilary Swank, Anjelica Huston, Julia Ormond, Frances O’Connor, Vera Farmiga and Patrick Dempsey, earned a Golden Globe nomination for the film, Hilary Swank a nomination and Anjelica Huston a Golden Globe win. Katja was then lured back to Germany to become the directing force behind the "Ostwind"-franchise. Katja then accompanied the Scorpions on a world tour for the documentary "Forever and a Day", and then turned to her passion of dance with the urban dance movie "Fly". She is now working on new national as well as international projects.