Johannes Brunner studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, followed by a three year stint as an assistant at the master class of Professor Olaf Metzel. In 1992, he was awarded the New Talent Award of the Munich Art Academy, at which he eventually took up a teaching position two years later. At that time, he started working on video and shot several short films, among them "5 Stücke" (1992), which won the International Video Art Award, and "Die gesteigerte Fahrt", which received an official recommendation for artistic excellence.

In 2000, Brunner, who also taught at the Munich Film Academy HFF, became guest professor a the Munich Art Academy. On his films, he frequently collaborated with composer Raimund Ritz. In 2005, he made his feature debut as director and writer of the ensemble drama "Oktoberfest".