Isa Willinger

Biography

Isa Willinger initially studied Slavonic Studies, North American Studies and Sociology in Berlin, Prague, Moscow and New York. In 2005 she began her studies at the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film (HFF) in Munich. During her studies, she made several short and long documentary films, such as the 70-minute "Pornoprotokolle" (2008) on the situation in mainstream pornography and attempts at alternative projects. She also wrote texts for the film magazine "Revolver"; her monograph on filmmaker Kira Muratova ("Kira Muratova: Kino und Subversion") was published in 2013. Willinger's HFF graduation film "Fort von allen Sonnen" ("Away From All Suns", 2013), about Constructivist architecture in Russia in the 1920s, was screened at Munich's DOK.fest and was awarded the Starter Film Prize of the City of Munich in 2014.

Since then Isa Willinger has been working as a freelance filmmaker. Together with Maria Stodtemeier, she shot a series for the cultural broadcaster Arte in the three-part documentary series "Musik in Zeiten von Krieg und Revolution" (2017, Episode 3: "Musik und Macht"). Her cinema documentary "Hi, A.I." (2018), about humanoid robots and their human possessors, was awarded Best Documentary Film at the Max Ophüls Prize Film Festival in January 2019. The theatrical release followed in March 2019.

In the also award-winning "Plastic Fantastic" (2023), Willinger explored the pervasive problem of plastic waste - from microplastics in our food to the apocalyptic mountains of plastic litter in poorer regions of the world. At the 2025 Hamburg Film Festival, Willinger presented "No Mercy," examining director Kira Muratowas idea that women bring a particular toughness to filmmaking. The film features directors such as Céline Sciamma, Alice Diop, Nina Menkes, and Valie Export discussing their artistic concerns and working realities. The film premiered in theaters in March 2026.