ABOUT
Independent Artists was founded in spring 2005.
Based in Berlin, we focus primarily on feature films, documentaries and television films which are both artistically challenging and commercially promising. We are convinced that relevant subjects approached in a universal manner have the potential to reach a wide audience if told with the highest artistic standards and in an entertaining fashion.
The multiple-award-winning production DIE FREMDE (WHEN WE LEAVE) was the first narrative feature produced by Independent Artists. Since its premiere at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2010, the feature received 47 national and international awards and was shown at over 140 festivals in more than 50 countries. In 2011, WHEN WE LEAVE was Germany’s official entry for the ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ category at the 83rd Academy Awards.
In June 2013, Independent Artists wrapped their new feature film ZWISCHEN WELTEN (INBETWEEN WORLDS), which was secretly filmed on location in the region of Masar-e Sharif and Kunduz in Afghanistan. INBETWEEN WORLDS had its premiere at the competition section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival 2014 and was nominated for the German Directors Award METROPOLIS and the VGF Producers Newcomers Award in 2014. It was since shown at 49 international Film Festivals and won 5 awards.
DER ANDERE – EINE FAMILIENGESCHICHTE (OT), Independent Artists third feature was shot in summer 2016 in Berlin, Germany and Niamey, Niger/Westafrica. Again Feo Aladag produced, wrote and directed, this time for the german broadcaster ZDF, in cooperation with worldsales partner Beta Film. The film premiered and was aired in fall 2016 as well as being nominated as Best Feature for German TV for the prestigious GRIMME AWARD.
13th German Audio Film Award, Germany 2015
BEST FILM CATEGORY CINEMA
5th Recklinghausen Film Festival, Germany 2014
SPECIAL PRIZE
38th Mostra Internacional de Cinema / Sao Paulo Film Festival, Brazil 2014
JURY PRIZE „BEST FEATURE – NEW DIRECTORS“
3rd Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival, Spain 2014
BEST ACTOR – MOHSIN AHMADI
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – JUDITH KAUFMANN
WHEN WE LEAVE
60th German Film Awards, Germany 2010
BEST ACTRESS, Sibel Kekilli
BEST FILM– LOLA in Bronze
60th Berlin International Film Festival, Germany 2010
EUROPEAN CINEMA LABEL AWARD
9th Tribeca Film Festival, USA 2010
BEST ACTRESS, Sibel Kekilli
BEST FILM in World Narrative Feature Competition
LUX Film Prize 2010, Film Price of the European Parliament, Europe 2010
BEST EUROPEAN FILM
New Faces Award, Germany 2010
BEST DEBUT, Feo Aladag
32nd Créteil Womens Film Festival, France 2010
BEST FILM – AUDIENCE AWARD
1st Recklinghausen Film Festival, Germany 2010
BEST FILM
11th Calgary International Film Festival, Canada 2010
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
37th Flanders International Film Festival Ghent, Belgium 2010
AUDIENCE AWARD – PORT OF GHENT
BEST FILM
23rd Panorama of European Cinema Athens, Greece 2010
BEST FILM – INTERNATIONAL JURY AWARD
34th São Paulo International Film Festival, Brazil 2010
BEST FILM – INTERNATIONAL JURY AWARD
DEFA Foundation, Germany 2010
AWARD TO SUPPORT ARTISTIC TALENT Feo Aladag
25th Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, USA 2010
BEST FILM
10th International Film Festival Marrakech, Morocco 2010
BEST PERFORMANCE FOR THE ENTIRE CAST AWARD
21st DIVA – German Entertainment Prize 2011, Germany 2011
JURY AWARD – BEST ART DIRECTION OF THE YEAR, Feo Aladag
22nd Premiers Plans Film Festival in Angers, France 2011
EUROPEAN FIRST FEATURE FILMS – AUDIENCE AWARD
17th Victoria Film Festival, Canada 2010
BEST FILM
German Film Critics Awards 2010, Germany 2011
BEST FILM Feo Aladag, BEST DEBUT FILM Feo Aladag, BEST SCREENPLAY Feo Aladag, BEST ACTRESS Sibel Kekilli, BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Judith Kaufmann, BEST EDITING Andrea Mertens, BEST SCORE Max Richter and Stéphane Moucha
20th German Camera Prize, Germany 2010
BEST CAMERA, Judith Kaufmann, bvk
39th Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal, Canada 2010
BEST ACTRESS, Sibel Kekilli
15th Festival Turkey/Germany Nuremberg, Germany 2010
BEST ACTRESS, Sibel Kekilli
Bernhard Wicki Film Prize, Germany 2010
GERMAN CINEMA AWARD FOR PEACE, Sibel Kekilli
20th Cologne Conference, Germany 2010
GERMAN CASTING PRIZE 2010, Ulrike Müller
11th Video Champion, Germany 2010
VIDEO CHAMPION ARTIST AWARD, Sibel Kekilli
Die Goldene Zwiebel Esslingen 2010, Germany 2011
BEST DEBUT, Feo Aladag
BEST ACTRESS, Sibel Kekilli
1st German Directors Award METROPOLIS 2011, Germany 2011
BEST DIRECTOR (JUNIOR SECTION), Feo Aladag
7th Kazan International Festival of muslim cinema, Russia 2011
SPECIAL AWARD „For an impressive display of conflict between community traditions and values of a free society“(by „Slon“ Russian Guild of Film Critics)
BEST ACTRESS, Sibel Kekilli
5th Film Festival of Women in Salé, Morocco 2011
LE GRAND PRIX DU FESTIVAL DE SALÉ (Best Film)
LE PRix DE SCÉNARIO (Best Screenplay), Feo Aladag
LE PRIX DE L´INTERPRÉTATION FÉMININE (Best Female Actress), Sibel Kekilli
Erasmus EuroMedia Awards 2011, Europe 2011
MEDAL OF EXCELLENCE FOR FICTIONAL PRODUCTION
SEAL FOR QUALITY
10th International Images Film Festival for Women in Harare and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe 2011
BEST ACTRESS, Sibel Kekilli
Prix CinéFemme 2011, Belgium 2011
GRAND PRIX
4th Bangalore International Film Festival, India 2011
Silver Berunda – BEST DIRECTOR, Feo Aladag
1st Panazorean International Film Festival, Portugal 2012
GRAND PRIZE
53. Grimme-Preis 2017
BEST FILM
European CIVIS TV Award 2017
BEST FILM
INBETWEEN WORLDS
64th Berlin International Film Festival, Germany 2014
COMPETITION
64th German Film Awards, Germany 2014
PRESELECTION
27th European Film Awards 2014, Latvia 2014
PRESELECTION
4th German Director´s Award METROPOLIS, Germany 2014
PRESELECTION FOR BEST DIRECTOR NEWCOMER
22nd CAMERIMAGE International Film Festival of the Art of Cinema, Poland 2014
COMPETITION
VGF-Newcomer Producer´s Award, Germany 2014
NOMINATION
WHEN WE LEAVE
60th German Film Awards, Germany 2010
BEST SCREENPLAY – Nomination for Feo Aladag
BEST DIRECTOR – Nomination for Feo Aladag
BEST FILM – Nomination & Award for Feo Aladag, Züli Aladag
BEST LEADING ACTRESS– Nomination & Award for Sibel Kekilli
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Nomination for Settar Tanriögen
BEST EDITING – Nomination for Andrea Mertens
23rd European Film Awards, Europe 2010
BEST EUROPEAN ACTRESS, Sibel Kekilli
EUROPEAN DISCOVERY – Prix FIPRESCI of the European Film Academy, Feo Aladag
20th German Camera Prize, Germany 2010
BEST EDITING – Nomination for Andrea Mertens, bfs
11th Video Champion, Germany 2010
VIDEO CHAMPION AWARD – Blu-ray WHEN WE LEAVE in the category “German Film”
Film+10 Editing Award, Germany 2010
PRENOMINATION FOR BEST EDITED FEATURE Andrea Mertens
Die Goldene Zwiebel Esslingen, Germany 2011
BEST FILM
BEST ACTRESS, Settar Tanriögen
83rd Academy Awards®, USA 2011
GERMAN ENTRY to compete for the BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM AWARD
FEO ALADAG
P R O D U C T I O N
2016
DER ANDERE – EINE FAMILIENGESCHICHTE (OT)
2011 – 2014
INBETWEEN WORLDS („ZWISCHEN WELTEN“), Cinema
2005 – 2010
WHEN WE LEAVE („DIE FREMDE“), Cinema
2005
Founding of production company INDEPENDENT ARTISTS FILMPRODUKTION in Berlin
D I R E C T O R (Selection)
2016
DER ANDERE – EINE FAMILIENGESCHICHTE (OT)
2011 – 2013
INBETWEEN WORLDS
2008 – 2010
WHEN WE LEAVE
2005
Cinema Spot CINEMA, Client: Wrigleys, Agency: BBDO, 35 mm
Cinema Spot WE WILL ROCK YOU/ BREMSEN, Client: Ford, Agency: Ogilvy, 35mm
Cinema Spot WE WILL ROCK YOU/ ZENTRALVERRIEGELUNG, Client: Ford, Agentur: Ogilvy, 35 mm
Cinema Spot: WE WILL ROCK YOU/ TÜREN, Client: Ford, Agency: Ogilvy, 35 mm
Cinema Spot: MODERN ART/ FORD KA, Client: Ford, Agency: Ogilvy, 35 mm
2004
Cinema & TV Spot for campaign VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: Spot POLICE, 35 mm / Spot CAR PARK, 35 mm
Client: Amnesty International/Austria
W R I T E R (Selection)
2016
DER ANDERE – EINE FAMILIENGESCHICHTE (OT)
2010-2013
INBETWEEN WORLDS
2004 – 2008
WHEN WE LEAVE
2006
GLAUBE, LIEBE, HOFFNUNG, Script for WDR-Tatort, Colonia Media
2004
ERFROREN, WDR-Tatort, Scriptadaption, Colonia Media, ARD
LEBENDIG BEGRABEN, Treatment, Colonia Media
2002
EUROVISION, 13 DIRECTORS, Treatment, Collective Project of
13 European Directors for the European Filmacademy
MUTTERLIEBE – WDR-Tatort, Script, Co-Author, Colonia Media/WDR, ARD
2001
MONDKINDER, Cinema, Author, Sponsorship /Filmbüro NRW
A C T I N G (Selection)
CINEMA
2007
MEINE SCHÖNE BESCHERUNG, Director: Vanessa Jopp, Reference Film
2005
LUCY, Director: Henner Winckler, ZDF/Kleines Fernsehspiel, Berlinale 2006
MATTER OF TIME, Director: Hanna A.-W. Slak (in English)
2004
CO-MA, Director: Mike Figgis, (in English) Talent Campus/Berlinale 2005, Film Festival Munich 2006
1998
GRÜNE WÜSTE, Director: Anno Saul, Reference Film
1997
FRAUEN LÜGEN NICHT, Director: Michael Junker
1996
ALLES WALZER, Director: Frank Sirion
TV
2010
FLEMMING, Director: Bernhard Stephan, ZDF
DER KRIMINALIST – TOD EINES BEGLEITERS, Director: Züli Aladag, ZDF
2007
TATORT – EXITUS, Director: Thomas Rath, ARD
2006
ILLUSION-FREIER WILLE, Director: Malte Linde, 3sat/ZDF
DIE ANWÄLTE – DÄMMERUNG, Director: Züli Aladag, ARD
2004
EIN LANGER ABSCHIED, Director: Johannes Fabrick, ARD
2003
RED CAP, Director: Justin Chadwick, BBC1 (in English)
2002
TATORT – MUTTERLIEBE, Director: Züli Aladag, ARD
2000
TATORT – EINMAL TÄGLICH, Director: Peter Fratscher, ARD
DIE BADEMEISTER, Director: Matthias Kopp, RTL
1999
BEN & MARIA – LIEBE AUF DEN ZWEITEN BLICK, Director: Uwe Janson, Sat.1
ICH KAUF MIR EINEN MANN, Director: Gabriel Barylli, Sat.1
1997
ZUR ZEIT ZU ZWEIT, Director: Anno Saul, ZDF/ARTE
DER TODESBUS, Director: Richard Huber, RTL
1996
AUTSCH, Director: Paul Harather, ZDF/ORF
KNICKERBOCKERBANDE, Director: Guntmar Lasnig, ORF
UNSER PAPA IST DER BESTE, Director: Helmut Lohner, ORF
V I T A
2015
Masterclass “Scene Study” / Larry Moss, Berlin
2014
Masterclass “Scene Study” / Larry Moss, Berlin
2013
Masterclass “Scene Study” / Larry Moss, Berlin
2012
Masterclass “Scene Study” / Larry Moss, Berlin
Masterclass “The Essence of Storytelling” / Chris Vogler, London
Script Writting Masterclass / Guillermo Arriaga, London
2011
„Mastering the Craft“ Story & Screenwriting Masterclass / Syd Field, London
2010
“Acting for Directors” Masterclass / Larry Moss, Berlin
2007 – 2008
Sanford Meisner-Technique-Workshops / Mike Bernardin, Berlin
2007
“Acting for Directors” Masterclass / Judith Weston, Los Angeles
“Acting for Directors” Masterclass / Larry Moss, Los Angeles
“Acting for Directors” Masterclass / Larry Silverberg, Sanford Meisner T., N.Y., Berlin
“Acting for Directors” Masterclass / Larry Moss, Berlin
“Acting for Directors” Masterclass / Mel Churcher, Berlin
“Script Analysis and Rehearsal Technique” Masterclass / Judith Weston, L.A.
Masterclass Casting / Nancy Bishop, Cologne
2004 – 2005
Studies of directing at the dffb, German Film and TV Academy (Guest Auditor/Postgraduate)
Directing Masterclasses / Fernando Solanas, Stephen Frears, Mike Leigh, Peter Lilienthal, Hinderk M. Emrich at dffb, Berlin
2004
Directing-Masterclass of the European Film Academy EFA / Mike Figgis
Participation at the Berlinale Talent Campus 2004
2003
Directing-Masterclass of the European Film Academy EFA / Michael Radford („Il Postino“) in Dublin „Directing actors – Character developing through improvisation“
2000
Graduation Dr. phil. in Psychology and Journalism at the University of Vienna
2000 – 1997
Creative freelance for cinema & TV spots as well as music clips
2000 – 1995
Doctoral studies in Psychology and Journalism at the University of Vienna
1995 – 1993
Margaret Lang Acting Studio, London and Morley College (Stage Acting), London
1995
Commission Final Exam in the sucject of Acting, Vienna
1993 – 1990
Acting studies / National Stage of Vienna, Committee-Audit subject / divison Acting at the National Stage of Vienna
1993 – 1990
Studies of Psychology, Journalism and Communication Science at the University of Vienna, Degree Mag. Phil.
1991 – 1993
Freelance Editor at Austrian newspapers, Sector: cinema and TV, reportages and an own daily column
1990
High School Diploma / Humanistic Gymnasium, Vienna