Maren Ade gained international fame with Toni Erdmann (2016), a dramatic comedy that won five European Film Awards. But more than a decade earlier, the German filmmaker had already gained recognition in independent venues thanks to her debut feature. The Forest for the Trees, which began as a student project, follows a 27-year-old teacher who leaves her rural surroundings to make her debut at a high school in Karlsruhe. Melanie arrives in the city full of hope and optimism, unaware that a hostile environment awaits her where only one of her colleagues will offer her a helping hand. Eva Löbau (The Teachers' Lounge) gives a heartbreaking performance that takes us through the collapse of an awkward, idealistic young woman facing a world that rejects her for the way she is. Ade's raw look at the beginnings of working life in a context of selfishness and lack of solidarity won her the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Maren Ade
Born in Karlsruhe, she studied at the Academy of Film and Television in Munich. In 1999, she founded the production company Komplizen Film with Janine Jackowski, whom she has continued to work with until now, producing films by authors like Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Emin Alper, Radu Jude, Valeska Grisebach and Miguel Gomes, among many others. She made her feature film debut in 2003 with ‘The Forest for the Trees’, which won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance and premiered in Spain at Seminci, in the Meeting Point section. Her second feature, ‘Everyone Else’ (2009), won the Grand Jury Prize and the award for best actress in Berlin, and the award for best director at Bafici. ‘Toni Erdmann’ (2016), her third feature, won the Critics’ Award at Cannes and five European Film Awards (including best film), as well as being nominated for the Oscars, Bafta, Goya and César awards.
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