Biography
Viktor Jakovleski was born in 1983 in West Berlin and, by his own account, developed a strong passion for film and cinema from a young age. American films such as "Back to the Future" (1985), "The Usual Suspects" (1995), and "Pi" (1998) had a particularly lasting influence on him. He gained his first experience on film sets at the age of 18, working various jobs on different productions.
He went on to study at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (dffb), graduating in 2005. During this time, he also worked as a driver on Hollywood productions shot in Berlin, such as "Around the World in 80 Days" (US/UK/DE, 2004).
In the years following his graduation, Jakovleski worked as a production assistant on "Valkyrie" (US/DE, 2007) and "Pandorum" (2008). He served as producer on Florian Gaag's highly praised coming-of-age drama "LenaLove" (2013–2015).
In 2014, Jakovleski became the first German participant in the residency program of the Guanajuato International Film Festival (GIFF) in Mexico. While in Tultepec, he shot the documentary "Brimstone & Glory", which explores the city's long-standing National Pyrotechnics Festival and the people behind it. The film premiered in 2017 at the prestigious True/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri (USA), and went on to screen at many other festivals, especially in the U.S. It won Best Documentary at the San Francisco International Film Festival, Best Director at Fantastic Fest in Austin, and the John Schlesinger Award for Best Directorial Debut at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. In Mexico, "Brimstone & Glory" opened the 2017 Guanajuato International Film Festival. It was released in U.S. cinemas and broadcast on television - but despite the numerous awards, it was never distributed or shown in Germany.
For the streaming platform Apple TV+, Jakovleski developed the gritty hospital drama series "Krank Berlin" - based on his own concept - together with Samuel Jefferson. Filming took place in 2023, and the series premiered on the platform in 2025.
Jakovleski also co-wrote and co-directed the feature film "Rave On" (2025) with Nikias Chryssos. The film blends a fictional story about a Berlin music producer with real footage from Berlin's nightlife and club culture. It premiered at the Munich Film Festival in early July 2025 and was released in German cinemas at the end of that month.