Dirk van den Berg

Dirk van den Berg

Dirk van den Berg (* May 10th 1966 in Düsseldorf) is a German film director and producer.

He left Germany shortly after his high school degree and went to Italy, where he began to study history of music and dramaturgy at the Sapienza University of Rome. For several years, he worked as a drama and opera director with various Italian and European theaters and opera houses. Subsequently, he graduated in producing and directing at the Silvio d’Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts and Film in Rome, where he was one of the last students educated by Italian veteran writer and scholar Andrea Camilleri. Shortly before his graduation, he was offered the chance to shoot his first feature film in Moscow, which he wrote together with Russian novel writer Vladimir Makanin as the first of a series of films about the reality of the dying Soviet Union and the transformation into the Russian Federation. In spite of the film's success, the series was never produced. Van den Berg decided to hurl himself into the real world of filmmaking and began a parallel career as a Line Producer. He took care of many international projects, directed various movies and series episodes and eventually started also to write and produce films.^[1]

In 2006, he moved back to Germany and started working for a Munich and London based movie production company. His first film as a producer was the American-German co-production Steel Trap,^[2] a thriller directed by Mexican-American newcomer Luis Camara. After he left the company in 2009, he associate produced and in part filmed the feature documentary "Generation 9/11", directed by Scottish-American Academy Award winner Nigel Noble and based on the work of German politician, philanthropist and writer Jürgen Todenhöfer.

In 2010, van den Berg founded the new production company OutreMer Film in Berlin which aims to produce films with and in the Middle East.^[3] The first project Seam of Desire, an investigation into the hidden sexuality of Arabic women, was supposed to be shot in Damascus, Syria: it had to be suspended due to the situation in Syria project trailer here. Other projects include a film about German diplomat and adventurer Wilhelm Wassmuss, who led Persian tribesmen against the English in world War I.^[4]

Since January 2011, Dirk van den Berg is working as the Creative Producer for LOOKS Film Produktion on "The Great War Diary", a landmark documentary series about World War I that is due in 2014 project trailer here.

Filmography (selection)

• The Great War Diary (2013), creative producer, 4/8x52' internationally co-produced series
• Seams of Desire (2011), producer, director: to be announced
• Generation 9/11 (2010), associate producer; director: Nigel Noble
• Separation City (2009), line producer; director: Paul Middleditch
• I, Don Giovanni (2008), line producer (and music coordinator); director: Carlos Saura
• Steel Trap (2007), producer; director: Luis Camara
• The Holy Family (2006), line producer and liaison Jordan; director: Raffaele Mertes
• The Grooming (2005), line producer; director: John Irvin
• Le Fugitif (2004), director: line producer (France); director: Andrea Manni
• The Lives of the Saints (2004), action director; director: Jerry Ciccoriti
• The Prey (2005), line producer; director: Curtis Radclyffe
• Access Denied (TV) (2000); director: Dirk van den Berg
• Mort Programmé (2000), action director; director: Hajo Gies
• Il Cielo sotto il Deserto (1998) line producer; director: Alberto Negrin
• Nicolao Dalle Pomarance (TV) (2003–2004); director: Dirk van den Berg
• Russian Times (TV) (1993); director and co-writer: Dirk van den Berg

Awards

• 1993 ^[5] Best European Screenplay for the Script "OutreMer"

References

1. ^ profile on German Ministry of culture and media's website "Dirk van den Berg, film, radio and journalism"
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ AG Dok, German association of documentary film "Member profile of Dirk van den Berg"
4. ^ Newsclick.de 03.September 2010
5. ^ European Script Fund

External links

• profile at the Internet Movie Database
• profile at German film people website Crew United
• personal homepage [2]
• production company homepage OutreMer Film

Persondata
Name	Van Den Berg, Dirk
Alternative names
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Date of birth	1966
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death