Biography
Karin Berghammer, born in Upper Austria on March 18, 1961, initially pursued a career as a midwife, which she dedicated to for seven years. During her time as a midwife, she collaborated with Iris Podgorschek to create an innovative birthing bed that was internationally patented. She then embarked on a 14-month trip around the world, during which she completed a course of study at the University of California in Los Angeles, specializing in film and video.
Upon her return to Germany, she attended the Kaskeline Film Academy in Berlin from 1989 to 1993. In 2005, she received her Master of Arts in TV and Film Production from the Danube University Krems. During her academic career, Karin Berghammer directed several films, including the 45-minute documentary "Gebären und Geboren werden" (AT 1995), a documentary with a popular science approach focusing on childbirth. In 2001 she founded her own production company, Karin Berghammer Film Production, in Vienna. There she produced short films and documentaries, including the 60-minute documentary "Midwives – Geburt und Frauenrechte" ("Midwives – a global perspective on childbirth", AT/PH/NL 2002). In this documentary, midwives from 23 countries discussed issues such as abortion, female genital mutilation, and societal influences on birthing behavior. The film premiered at the Diagonale Festival in Graz, Austria, in 2003.
Between 2005 and 2018, Karin Berghammer held key positions as Head of Development and Production Manager for various Austrian production companies, including Amour Fou Vienna, Navigatorfilm and COOP99, and contributed to various cinema, television and documentary projects. These projects included notable works such as Anja Salomonowitz's "Kurz davor ist es passiert" ("It Happened Just Before", AT 2006), Jessica Hausner's "Toast" (AT 2006), Constantin Wulff's "In die Welt" ("Into the World", AT 2009) and Tereza Kotyk's "Home is Here" (AT/CZ 2016). In addition, she has actively participated in a number of international screenwriting and production development workshops.
In October 2018, Karin Berghammer founded her production company "berg hammer film." Her directorial work includes TV documentaries such as "Aller Anfang - Der Weg der Hebammen" ("Let It Come Slowly", AT 2020), "Top Sekret - Körperflüssigkeiten als Ware" ("Natural Juices", AT 2021), and "Weg damit - Die Kunst der Entsorgung" ("Get Rid Of It", AT 2022). The latter focuses on individuals who bridge the gap between art and environmental protection through their involvement in waste disposal.
In 2019, she began working with Georg Nonnenmacher and Ingo Haeb on the film "Diamante - Fußballgott," a mockumentary about a (fictional) German soccer player who becomes a superstar in Brazil.
Beyond her practical contributions to the film industry, Berghammer is an active board member of the association "FC Gloria, Frauen Vernetzung Film", which promotes gender equality in the film sector. She was also a founding member of "Die ProduzentInnen". Karin Berghammer is married to actor Andreas Patton, the couple has three children.