Kerstin Stutterheim was born in East-Berlin on May 17th 1961. She studied theatre and cultural communications in Leipzig and at the Humboldt University, Berlin. After graduating, she worked in television and started directing her own documentaries, including "Die Wäscherei - ein Herz für Umwelt und Gewebe" and "Original Wolfen. Aus der Geschichte einer Filmfabrik". With co-director Niels Bolbrinker, she completed "Bauhaus – Mythos und Moderne" (1998) and "Die Thuranos – Leben auf dem Drahtseil" (2003).

While working as a filmmaker, she also completed her post-graduate studies at the philosophy department of the Humboldt University, receiving her PhD for her study "Okkulte Hintergründe in dokumentarischen Filmen des 'Dritten Reiches'". From 2001 to 2006, she taught as professor for film and video in Würzburg, followed by a position as professor at the HFF Konrad Wolf in Potsdam.

In 2009, Stutterheim and Bolbrinker presented their documentary "Fliegen und Engel", a portrait of Russian artist Ilya Kabakov.