Born in 1942, Munich, Germany. Studying at the University of Vienna, he graduated in philosophy, psychology and theatre?academic interests which have defined much of his directorial career. Most of his features, including the bleak violence of [#i_]Benny´s Video[_i#](1992), [#i_]Funny Games[_i#](1997) and [#i_]Cache/Hidden[_i#](2005) have screened at IFFR. He won a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival for both his films [#i_]The White Ribbon[_i#](2009) and [#i_]Amour[_i#](2012).