Markus Schröder

Markus is a German director who turned his back on London after a decade and now lives on an old farm in a remote village in Upper Franconia. Inspired by his grandmother's huge collection of VHS tapes, he knew he would become a filmmaker at some point in his life. His journey took him to Latin America, where he studied directing at the CIEVYC in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and went on to make feature films, documentaries and commercials all over the world. He is particularly interested in stories that give a voice to people struggling to be heard. His short documentary about a young stroke victim's recovery through music has screened successfully at festivals including the Dresden Film Festival and the Braunschweig International Film Festival in Germany. His debut feature film 'Sleeping Giant', about the reintegration of FARC guerrilla fighters into society after the signing of the peace agreement in Colombia, premiered at the 62nd Festival Internacional de Cinema de Cartagena de Indias in Colombia. It has been screened at many festivals around the world and in beautiful cinemas such as the Cineteca Bogotá and the Cinemateca of Mexico City. The film received a special mention at the GRANIT documentary award at the Hof International Film Festival.