Ulrich Köhler (director)


Ulrich Köhler is a German film director and screenwriter associated with the Berlin School of filmmaking. He is best known for his films Sleeping Sickness, which won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin International Film Festival, and In My Room, which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival.
In an interview with the German newspaper taz, Köhler reflected on his childhood in Africa and the autobiographical elements of Sleeping Sickness.

Early life and education

Köhler was born in Marburg, Hesse. From the age of five to nine he lived in Zaire, where his parents worked as development aid workers.
He studied art in Quimper, France, then philosophy and visual communication at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg, graduating in 1998.

Style and themes

Köhler is considered part of the Berlin School, a loose movement of German filmmakers including Christian Petzold and Angela Schanelec. His films often explore alienation, identity, and social dislocation, with minimalist style and long takes.
In 2019, the British film magazine Sight & Sound described Köhler’s work as “slow-burn dramas of dislocation” and situated him within the Berlin School.

Selected filmography

Bungalow Windows on Monday Sleeping Sickness In My Room
  • ''Das freiwillige Jahr''

Awards