DIRECTRESS.
SCREENWRITER.
for cinema and TV
born in Vienna, Austria, 1987
based in her hometown
speaks German, English
as well as French and Dutch
contact: clara.h.stern(a)gmail.com
NEWS
“In fact, this is one of the most entertaining movies of the year for its pacing and excellent use of family dramatics that captivate the audience throughout. All the scenes in the movie ring true with their occasional awkwardness and realism.” Thomas Duffy, film-book.com
“the start of a promising career” David Katz, cineuropa
“Within the genre of the sports movie, Breaking the Ice offers variants and some narrative solutions that make it a solid film that at the same time feels rather fresh.“ Adriano Ercolani, comingsoon.it
MATHIAS (2017) short fiction
WAITING TIME (2016) short fiction
LUMINANCE (2016) short doc
THE ISLANDS THAT WE ARE. (2011) short fiction
THE SNOWS OF YESTERYEAR (2013) short doc
BIOGRAPHY
To look at movies only from a theoretical viewpoint (Theatre, Film and Media Studies in Vienna and Utrecht, Netherlands) was at some point not enough. In order to learn how to tell stories on my own I studied at the Film Academy Vienna, first Screenwriting (with professor Götz Spielmann), then after two years applied again, this time for Directing (with professors Wolfgang Murnberger and Michael Haneke). Finished both.
After several short films, BREAKING THE ICE was my first feature film. A feature comedy for television followed in 2023.
I want to make movies that entertain and move emotionally, shake you up and leave you yearning. I focus on feminist topics as well as on socio-critical and -political topics.
FILMOGRAPHY
2023: ZWEI GEGEN DIE BANK, Fiction TV, 89 min, ORF, ARTE, in postproduction
2022: BREAKING THE ICE – Fiction Cinema, 102 min, NGF Geyrhalter Film
2017: MATHIAS – Fiction, 30 min, more than 50 international festival screenings
2016: WAITING TIME – Fiction, 11 min, more than 40 international festival screenings, screened at ARTE
2015: LUMINANCE – Doc, 4 min
2013: THE SNOWS OF YESTERYEAR – Doc, 7 min
2012: SUN DOWN – Fiction, 8 min
2011: THE ISLANDS THAT WE ARE. – Fiction, 11 min
AWARDS FOR BREAKING THE ICE
Best Screenplay Award, Max Ophüls Award Filmfestival
Best Socially Relevant Film, Max Ophüls Award Filmfestival
Youth Jury Award, Max Ophüls Award Filmfestival
Best Austrian Director, Filmfestival Kitzbühel
Best Feature Film DEFA Foundation Award, Filmkunstfest Schwerin
Best Young Actor (Nomination): Judith Altenberger, Max Ophüls Prize Filmfestival
Best Music (Nomination), Austrian Film Award
Best Cinematography (Nomination), ROMY Industry Award
OTHER AWARDS
2022 “IF SHE CAN SEE IT SHE CAN BE IT Screenplay Competition” Award, held by the Austrian Screenwriters Guild and the Austrian Film Institute for the feature film exposé Money or Life (co-authorship with Johannes Hoss)
2018 Austrian Academy Award for MATHIAS (30 minutes, fiction, co-writer and director)
2018 “Carl-Mayer-Screenplay Award” of the city of Graz, Austria, for the feature film treatment Working Ghosts (co-authorship with Johannes Hoss, awarded 14500 Euros)
2017 "Best Short Fiction Film” for MATHIAS, Diagonale – Festival of Austrian Films, Graz, Austria
2017 “Young Talent Grant for Film” 2017 by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Arts for Breaking The Ice
2016 “Carl-Mayer-Screenplay Award” of the city of Graz, Austria, for the treatment for the feature film Breaking The Ice (awarded 14500 Euros)
2016 “IF SHE CAN SEE IT SHE CAN BE IT Screenplay Competition” Award held by the Austrian Screenwriters Guild and the Austrian Film Institute for the feature film exposé You won’t need that to be happy (co-authorship with Johannes Hoss)
© 2023 Clara Stern
