German Film: Actress & Director Nicolette Krebitz

Perhaps you already know or have heard of Nicolette Krebitz. Fettes Brot and Tocotronic joined forces for the song “Nicolette Krebitz wartet,” a cover of Bananarama’s “Robert De Niro’s Waiting…” Or, you may have seen her on album covers like New Order’s Get Ready and Terranova’s Close the Door.

Nicolette Krebitz is perhaps best known for her work as an actress. But the Berliner has made her mark as a screenwriter and director. Just last year Wild was recognized both within Germany as well as internationally. Krebitz is both writer and director of the film. This month’s German film recommendations for German language learners are the films of or starring Nicolette Krebitz!

About Nicolette Krebitz

Born in West Berlin, Germany in 1972, Krebitz made her onscreen debut as a pre-teen in 1984’s Sigi, der Straßenfeger. Krebitz has dozens of film credits to her name. Many have received critical and public acclaim. In addition to acting, writing and directing, she’s also a talented musician. She adds vocals to several tracks from Terranova. Undoubtedly, Nicolette Krebitz is a woman of many talents.

Bandits

Krebitz stars with Katja Riemann, Jasmin Tabatabai and Jutta Hoffmann in 1997’s Bandits. The four women are each in prison for various crimes. But together they form a band as part of a rehabilitation program. The music gets some attention from the public and even radio play. But the group escape authorities while being transported from the prison for a performance. The police pursue the women while they continue to play shows for their fans. It’s music meets drama.

The Tunnel (Der Tunnel)

Based on true events, The Tunnel (Der Tunnel) is a made-for-television German film. Set in 1961 Berlin, the DDR is just closing the border with West Berlin. Two friends, including Sebastian Koch as engineer Matthis Hiller and Heino Ferch as tunnel mastermind Harry, work with others to help friends and loved ones escape from the East by way of a tunnel. Krebitz portrays ‘Fritzi’ Scholz, a woman in the West whose fiance is in the East. But is their secret plan really so secret? Actress Alexandra Maria Lara also appears in the film.

Wild

While she had tackled writing and directing before, Krebitz arguably never did it on the scale and with the success as 2016’s Wild. Wild stars Lilith Stangenberg in the lead role of Ania. After an unlikely encounter with a wolf, Ania’s life changes. She is able to escape from her dull everyday life. Instead, she ignores the unspoken rules and expectations of society. She experiences a new sense of freedom. The film was recognized by a number of critics and awards. Krebitz was awarded best director by the Bavarian Film Awards. The German Film Awards also called it the best feature film.