Edward Berger

1992–2017: Early work and German films

Berger has worked mostly in Germany and the United States.^[13] He gathered his first work experience at the U.S. independent production company Good Machine, working, among others, on the films of Ang Lee, Todd Haynes,^[7][14] and Edward Burns. In 1994 he headed the production department of the company.^[11] In 1996 he gave a guest lecture at Columbia University film school,^[11] and at Universität der Künste Berlin^[7] and at the HFF Potsdam.

His first feature film, based on his own screenplay, was Gomez – Kopf oder Zahl ("Gomez – Heads or Tails"), in 1998.^[11] In 2002, he directed a telemovie called Asylum, which was nominated for the International Emmy Award as well as the Grimme-Preis in Germany. In 2004, he wrote and directed a telemovie, Welcome to the Club.^[15]

In 2008, he worked as a screenwriter and director for four episodes of season 2 of television series KDD – Kriminaldauerdienst (KDD – Berlin Crime Squad).^[15] In 2012, his film A Good Summer [de] was awarded the Grimme-Preis.^[8]

Berger co-wrote the script for his third feature film, Jack with regular collaborator Nele Mueller-Stöfen [de]^[16] (also his wife^[17]). The film premiered in competition at the 2014 Berlinale,^[16][18] and was awarded the 2015 German Film Award in silver for the best feature film, after being nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. It also won Best Director and Best Picture at the German Directors Guild Awards.^[15] Berger said in 2023 that he has always looked for a challenge in filmmaking: "That started with Jack, where the camera was really only on the boy's face, because I didn't want to give the audience any choice but to identify with him".^[14][4]

In August 2014, Berger directed the eight-part television series Deutschland 83, which premiered as a special entry in the 2015 Berlinale. It was sold internationally, including to Canal+ in France and Channel 4 in the UK, and became the first German television show ever to air in the US.^[15] The series won an International Emmy in 2016.^[8]

2018–present: Mainstream acclaim and independent film success

He also directed the limited series Patrick Melrose (2018), starring Benedict Cumberbatch, for which he won his first BAFTA Award, for Best Limited Series.^[19] His feature film All My Loving premiered on 9 February 2019, in the Panorama section of the 2019 Berlinale.^[20] The film was nominated in several categories for the preselection of the 2019 German Film Award.^[21]

Berger wrote, directed, and produced All Quiet on the Western Front, released in 2022.^[14] The film received more Oscar nominations than any other German film before it (nine), after winning seven BAFTAs, surpassing the previous record of five set by Cinema Paradiso in 1988.^[4] At the Oscars, it won Best International Film.^[22] It was praised by critics internationally, but German reviewers and historians criticised it for its lack of closeness to the book and lack of historical accuracy.^[23][24]

His 2024 film Conclave, a drama set in the Holy See based on a novel by Robert Harris,^[13] enjoyed great success, both critically and with audiences.^[3][25][26] He described the film compared with All Quiet on the Western Front, as "like [going] from a physical war to an intellectual war. It felt like one of those great political conspiracy thrillers from the 1970s".^[13] His next film, Ballad of a Small Player, was released in 2025, starring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton.^[13][27] Berger has also directed and produced several music videos, short films, and artist film portraits.^[11]

Film

Producer

Television

TV movie

TV series