Thomas Stiller

After graduating from high school in Hilden in 1981, Thomas Stiller trained in acting and directing in New York and initially worked as an actor in theater, film, and television until the early 1990s. He then shifted his focus to directing and screenwriting.

He made his feature film debut in 1995 with DIE BRENNENDE SCHNECKE, which was screened at international film festivals. His psychological thriller STILLE NACHT – HEILIGE NACHT (1999) earned him a nomination for the Adolf Grimme Prize. This was followed by numerous works for film and television, including DER GESTOHLENE MOND (2002) and DER JUNGE OHNE EIGENSCHAFTEN (2006), as well as episodes for series such as TATORT. He achieved great success as the screenwriter of UNTER DEM EIS, which won the Grimme Prize in 2007.

In 2008, he directed ZWÖLF WINTER, which received multiple nominations and awards. In the years that followed, he focused on socially relevant themes, such as in GENUG IST NICHT GENUG (2009) about caregiving and volunteer work, and in SIE HAT ES VERDIENT (2011), a drama about youth violence that garnered international attention despite its controversial subject matter.