Biography
Handling such delicate concepts as spousal abuse, terrorism, and the Holocaust with artistry and tact, Christian Petzold proved that he was out to do more than just make entertaining motion pictures. Energized by thoughtful, unique perspectives on such matters, Petzold allowed films like "The State I Am In" (2000), "Wolfsburg" (2003), "Yella" (2007), and "Barbara" (2012) to contribute new ideas to old conversations. Working with dynamic actors like Nina Hoss, Petzold transformed what could have been deafening lectures into engaging philosophical discussions. Christian Petzold was born on September 14, 1960 in Hilden, Germany, and raised in the nearby city of Haan. Film played an important role in Petzold's life before even he took to it in academia; working a community service job at a municipal YMCA, Petzold engaged local disadvantaged youths through the viewing and discussion of films. He pursued his love of the arts, particularly the theatre, at the Free University of Berlin beginning in 1981, moving on to tackle film properly at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin in 1988. Petzold's early work took form in the media of short film, video filmmaking, and television work. His first long-form projects were "Pilotinnen" (1995) and "Cuba Libre" (1996), though he wouldn't gain theatrical attention until his development of the terrorism-themed character drama "The State I Am In" (2000), which he directed and co-wrote with Harun Farocki. The director's next film, "Something to Remind Me" (2001), would mark his first collaboration with actor Nina Hoss, who starred in five of his next six films: the psychologically charged "Wolfsburg" (2003), the domestic abuse drama "Yella" (2007), the military-themed project "Jerichow" (2008), the East Germany period piece "Barbara" (2012), and the post-Holocaust drama "Phoenix" (2014). Petzold wrote the latter two films with Farocki.
