Biography
Christian Genzel is a German writer and director with experience in feature films, short films, music videos, and documentaries. His debut feature, Die Muse (2011), is a psychological thriller about a writer who kidnaps a young woman for inspiration. The film starred Thomas Limpinsel and Henriette Müller and was produced by Berlin's High5Films.
Genzel's short films include the 2006 drama/comedy Schlaflos featuring Maximilian Simonischek and Stefan Murr, and the 2016 mystery/horror Cinema dell'oscurità, which was nominated for the 13th Street Shocking Short Award in 2017. In 2017, he served on the jury for Salzburg's script development award. In 2019, he directed Brezel Göring's play "Unbehagen in der Mittelstufe." Currently, Genzel is working on the documentary Finding Planet Porno: The Wild Journey of American Cinema's First Outlaw (2024), profiling cult director Howard Ziehm and the transformative era he represents.
Genzel studied English and American Studies at the University of Salzburg, completing his M.A. thesis on John Carpenter’s films. He has given guest lectures on filmmaking and curated film programs, including a 2014 series marking the 100th anniversary of WWI and a 2020 class on "Films and Exile," which explored exile in cinema.
Beyond filmmaking, Genzel is a journalist covering film, music, and video games. His writing has appeared in Film & TV Kamera, Celluloid, 35 Millimeter, gmx.net, GameStar, AllMusic Guide, Neon Zombie, Salzburger Nachrichten, and others. He has conducted interviews with filmmakers such as Steven E. de Souza, Rocky Morton, Mick Garris, William Lustig, Patrick Vollrath, and Adrian Goiginger; musicians including CAN’s Irmin Schmidt, Papa Roach’s Jacoby Shaddix, Boney M.’s Frank Farian, and Blondie’s Clem Burke; as well as game designers Ralf Glau and Guido Henkel. He also runs his blog Wilsons Dachboden, featuring the German-language movie discussion podcast Lichtspielplatz and the English-language interview podcast Talking Pictures.
