Holger Ernst


Holger Ernst / HOLGERSON is a German script writer and film maker based in Berlin. He also lives in New York City and Los Angeles.

Career

He graduated from the Department of Film at the Academy of Arts in Kassel, specializing in writing and directing. He directed several short films and commercials which screened at the Film Festivals of Venice, Cannes, Berlin, Montreal, Paris, Valladolid among many others over the past five years, including the much praised Kleine Fische. His critically acclaimed Rain Is Falling showed at the Film Festivals of Berlin and Venice. It won the renowned Max-Ophuels-Award of the Saarbruecken Film Festival, the UIP Valladolid, the BAFTA/LA Award for Excellence and was nominated for the European Filmprize.
His short/commercial FACES for Volkswagen earned him critical acclaim and prizes again among commercial- and film-festivals, winning the German Wirtschaftsfilmpreis, the Grand Prix in Bourges, in San Roque and the prestigious Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau Prize 2008. Planned on this short is a feature-length visual essay now in preparation.
Holger Ernst / HOLGERSON was awarded for his scripts on feature film projects: Das Leben geht weiter, Familie–Demontage einer Seele, and Wir sind die Groessten.
His feature film The House is Burning, produced by acclaimed director Wim Wenders, Peter Schwarzkopff and Academy Award winner Alex Gibney premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and marks his debut as feature film director.

Filmography

  • 1997–Argus
  • 1998–Der blaue Engel oder die Angst der Martha S. / the blue angel or the fear of Martha S.
  • 1999–Kleistronik
  • 2000–Kleine Fische / Little Fish
  • 2001–Liebst du mich? / Do you love me?
  • 2003–Natur Pur
  • 2004–Rain Is Falling
  • 2006–The House is Burning
  • 2007–Faces

Screenplays (Feature)

Life goes onFamily - How to kill a soulWir sind die GroesstenThe house is burningCold War
  • ''D.O.P.E.''

Awards

  • 1998 Talent-Stipe Young German Cinema
  • 2000 Hesse Filmprize 2000 - Best Screenplay
  • 2001 Selected by EXPORT UNION OF GERMAN CINEMA for their Program “Next Generation 2001”
  • 2001 Winner Best Short Film Award WFF Montreal
  • 2001 Golden Herkules 2001
  • 2001 Hesse Filmprize 2001
  • 2003 nominated for the German Filmprize 2003 : WIR SIND DIE GRÖSSTEN
  • 2003 Winner of the Commercial Competition GOOD FILM FOOD
  • 2004 nominated for the German Filmprize 2004 : FAMILY - How to kill a soul
  • 2004 Official Competition 61. Mostra Intern. Filmfestival Venice
  • 2004 Winner "A l'Affiche du Monde", Paris
  • 2004 Winner UIP-Prize Valladolid, Spain
  • 2004 Winner TSR-Prize, Geneva, Switzerland
  • 2004 Winner "Opere Nuove" Prize, Bozen, Italy
  • 2005 Winner “Max-Ophüls-Preis” Saarbrücken, Germany
  • 2005 Special Mention AlpeAdriaCinema Trieste, Italy
  • 2005 Winner Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Prize
  • 2005 Winner Palmares San Roque
  • 2005 Winner „Best Cinematography“ Aspen
  • 2005 BAFTA/LA „Award for Excellence“ Aspen
  • 2005 Winner Remi Bronze Award Worldfilmfest Houston
  • 2005 Winner Argenkino Buenos Aires
  • 2005 Special Mention Festroia Setubal
  • 2005 Winner Award Francisco García de Paso, Huesca
  • 2005 Special Mention of the Jury of the Youth, Huesca
  • 2005 Winner One-World-Filmprize Cologne, Germany
  • 2005 Winner Grand Prix Crested Butte Reel Filmfestival, USA
  • 2006 Winner International Filmfestival Teheran, Iran
  • 2006 Winner International Filmfestival FAJR, Iran
  • 2006 Winner International Filmfestival EcoVision Palermo, Italy
  • 2006 Winner MedWet Award International Filmfestival Athens, Greece
  • 2006 Worldpremiere THE HOUSE IS BURNING in the Official Selection CANNES Intern. Filmfestival
  • 2006 Winner Jury Award Intern. Filmfestival Seoul, South Korea
  • 2006 Winner Grand Prix YoungFilmFestival, Poland
  • 2007 Winner WetWest Filmfestival, New Zealand
  • 2007 Winner Best Film International Cinemountain Cervino, Italy
  • 2007 Winner Best Film International Filmfestival Hoboken, USA
  • 2007 Winner Best Film International Festival du Film Ecologique Bourges, France
  • 2007 Deutscher Wirtschaftsfilmpreis
  • 2008 Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau Preis
  • 2008 Grand Prix San Roque
  • 2008 Czech Radio Award One World Intern. Filmfestival