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Margarethe von Trotta

Actress and filmmaker

Born in Berlin in 1943, von Trotta studied visual arts in Düsseldorf, as well as Germanic languages and drama in Munich. She entered the world of cinema as an actress, collaborating in avant-garde films by Herbert Achternbusch and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. In the 1970s she became a director, making films that reflect on the complex insertion of women into 20th-century history. Her early films were influenced by the student revolts of the late 1960s and the strength of the feminist movement in the 1970s. Von Trotta deliberately rejects formal experimentation, opting for the narrative conventions of cinema in order to reach a general audience. However, her work is far removed from standard cinematic trends and can be described as strongly film d'auteur, forming part of what's become known as the "New German Cinema" movement.

Update: 25 July 2022

Has participated in

Feminist Film Manifestos VIII

Reviewing malaise