Maren Ade
Film
Maren Ade, born in Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1976, is an acclaimed filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer whose work has garnered international recognition. Her debut feature, The Forest for the Trees (2003), premiered at numerous festivals, winning the Special Jury Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and earning a nomination for the German Film Award. Her sophomore film, Everyone Else (2009), premiered in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it received both the Grand Jury Prize (Silver Bear) and the Silver Bear for Best Actress. The film was subsequently released in over 18 countries.
Ade’s international breakthrough came with the tragicomedy Toni Erdmann (2016), which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. The film received the FIPRESCI Prize, swept five European Film Awards-including Best Film and Best Director-and was nominated for both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Ade became the first female director to win the European Film Award for Best Film.
In addition to her directorial achievements, Ade is a co-founder and managing director of Komplizen Film, a production company behind numerous award-winning films by German and international directors. In 2012, she was a Villa Aurora fellow in Los Angeles, where, alongside director Ulrich Köhler, she developed the screenplay for Toni Erdmann. Since 2021, Ade has also served as co-head of the directing program at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.
Maren Ade lives in Berlin with director Ulrich Köhler and their children.