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Christoph Hochhäusler, born in 1972 in Munich, is a director and screenwriter. He studied architecture in Berlin from 1993 to 1995, then film directing at the University of Television and Film Munich from 1996 to 2004. Early in his career, he worked in a variety of film-related roles, including storyboard artist, sound editor, and assistant director. After making several short films, he drew widespread attention in 2003 with his graduation film "Milchwald" ("This Very Moment"), a contemporary reimagining of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale.
His second feature film followed in 2005: "Falscher Bekenner" ("Low Profile"), about a teenage boy (played by Constantin von Jascheroff) who falsely confesses to crimes he did not commit through anonymous letters. The film, too, was met with very positive critical response.
After contributing to the anthology film "Deutschland 09", Hochhäusler released his third feature, "Unter dir die Stadt" ("The City Below"). The psychological drama, starring Nicolette Krebitz, Mark Waschke, and Robert Hunger-Bühler, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010. It went on to receive the Förderpreis Deutscher Film for Best Screenplay and the Günter Rohrbach Filmpreis for Best Film in 2011.
At the Berlin International Film Festival in 2011, the television project "Dreileben" was presented—a collaboration of three loosely connected 90-minute films by Dominik Graf, Christian Petzold, and Hochhäusler. His contribution, titled "Eine Minute Dunkel" ("One Minute of Darkness"), focuses on a murderer who has escaped from prison. In 2012, Graf, Petzold, and Hochhäusler were jointly honored for this unconventional experiment with a Grimme Award (Special Prize) as well as the German Television Award for Outstanding Achievement in Fiction.
Hochhäusler's next theatrical release premiered in autumn 2014 at the Rome Film Festival: "Die Lügen der Sieger" ("The Lies of the Victors"), starring Florian David Fitz as a journalist uncovering a highly explosive political scandal. After further festival screenings, including in Hof and Rotterdam, the film opened in German cinemas in June 2015.
In the years that followed, Hochhäusler turned increasingly toward teaching. From January 2017 to December 2021, he served as head lecturer in directing at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (dffb).
In May 2022, he began shooting another feature film: "Bis ans Ende der Nacht" ("Till the End of the Night"), which tells the story of a love triangle involving an undercover investigator, his criminal partner, and a gangster whose trust they are meant to gain. The film premiered in competition at the Berlinale in 2023, where Thea Ehre received the Silver Bear for her performance. The film was released theatrically in June 2023.
At the Locarno Film Festival in August 2024, Hochhäusler presented his next feature, shot in French and once again rooted in genre cinema: the neo-noir "Der Tod wird kommen" ("Death Will Come"), starring Sophie Verbeeck as a contract killer drawn into an opaque web of intrigue. The film opened in German cinemas in March 2026.
Alongside his filmmaking, Hochhäusler has published extensively on film culture, including as the founder and co-editor of the film magazine Revolver.