---
name: "Volker Schlöndorff"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/volker-schlondorff"
fi1m_id: "volker-schlondorff"
imdb_id: "nm0772522"
tmdb_id: 10249
wikidata_id: "Q57316"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "31 March 1939"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "director"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-26T00:41:34.247127+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Volker Schlöndorff

## Identity

Volker Schlöndorff

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/volker-schlondorff
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** volker-schlondorff
- **IMDb ID:** nm0772522
- **TMDB ID:** 10249
- **Wikidata ID:** Q57316
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volker_Schl%C3%B6ndorff, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57316, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0772522/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10249

Director. Born 31 March 1939 in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 31 March 1939, Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany
- **Cannes Film Festival:** 1 Cannes prize (1 won)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volker_Schl%C3%B6ndorff, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57316, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0772522/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/10249

## Coming up

- *Visitation* (2026-10-15), Writer

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*The Tin Drum*](https://film.one/film/the-tin-drum.md) (78)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Volker Schlöndorff is a German film director, screenwriter and producer. Born in Wiesbaden in 1939, he studied in Paris and worked as an assistant director to Louis Malle, Jean-Pierre Melville and Alain Resnais before making his feature debut with *Young Törless* (1966).

Schlöndorff is best known for *The Tin Drum* (1979), which he directed and co-wrote. The film shared the Palme d’Or at Cannes and won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Other notable works include *The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum* (1975, co-directed with Margarethe von Trotta), *The Handmaid’s Tale* (1990) and *Diplomacy* (2014). He has also served as chief executive of Studio Babelsberg and teaches film and literature at the European Graduate School.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Tin Drum* (1979), Fi1m 78, Screenplay, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-tin-drum.md)

## Complete filmography (71)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Visitation* (2026), Writer, Director, Producer
- *Igor and After* (2026), Actor
- *German Genius* (2023), series, as Volker Schlöndorff
- *The Forest Maker* (2022), Director, Producer, Writer
- *The Nameless Day* (2017), Writer, Director
- *Return to Montauk* (2017), Producer, Director, Screenplay
- *The Poet and the Filmmaker: Volker Schlöndorff on Baal* (2015), as Interviewer
- *Henri Langlois vu par...* (2014), Director
- *Diplomacy* (2014), Director, Screenplay
- *Calm at Sea* (2012), Director, Writer
- *Nuits transparentes* (2011), Actor
- *Cave of Forgotten Dreams* (2010), as Narrator (French version) (voice) (uncredited)
- *Memories of Last Year in Marienbad* (2010), Producer, Editor
- *Melville Steps Out of the Shadows* (2010), as Interviewee
- *Ulzhan* (2007), Director
- *Strike* (2007), Director
- *Billy Wilder Speaks* (2006), Editor, Director
- *Enigma – Eine uneingestandene Liebe* (2005), Director
- *The Ninth Day* (2004), Director
- *Ten Minutes Older: The Cello* (2002), Director
- *The Enlightenment* (2002), Director
- *Ein Produzent hat Seele oder er hat keine* (2002), Director
- *Everyman's Feast* (2002), Producer
- *The Legend of Rita* (2000), Director, Screenplay
- *Schrott - Die Atzenposse* (2000), Actor
- *Palmetto* (1998), Director
- *The Ice Princess* (1996), Executive Producer
- *The Ogre* (1996), Director, Screenplay
- *Billy, How Did You Do It?* (1992), series, Director
- *The Michael Nyman Songbook* (1992), Director
- *Billy, How Did You Do It?* (1992), Director
- *Voyager* (1991), Director, Screenplay
- *The Handmaid's Tale* (1990), Director
- *A Gathering of Old Men* (1987), Director
- *Death of a Salesman* (1985), Director
- *Swann in Love* (1984), Director
- *War and Peace* (1982), Writer, Director
- *Circle of Deceit* (1981), Writer, Director
- *The Candidate* (1980), Director, Writer
- *The Tin Drum* (1979), Screenplay, Director — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/the-tin-drum.md)
- *Cinématon* (1978), as N°572
- *Germany in Autumn* (1978), Screenplay, Director
- *Beto Nervio contra el poder de las tinieblas* (1978), Associate Producer
- *Portrait of Valeska Gert* (1977), Director, Writer
- *Coup de Grâce* (1976), Director
- *Henry James Stories* (1976), series, Director, Adaptation, Scenario Writer
- *Georginas Gründe* (1975), Director, Writer
- *The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum* (1975), Screenplay, Director
- *Stayover in Tirol* (1974), Director, Writer, Producer
- *A Free Woman* (1972), Writer, Director, Producer
- *The Morals of Ruth Halbfass* (1972), Director, Screenplay
- *Mathias Kneißl* (1971), Actor
- *The Sudden Wealth of the Poor People of Kombach* (1971), Director, Writer, Producer
- *Rio das Mortes* (1971), Idea
- *11 Uhr 20* (1970), series, as Barkeepeer Henry
- *Baal* (1970), Director, Producer, Screenplay
- *Michael Kohlhaas - The Rebel* (1969), Director, Writer
- *Der Paukenspieler* (1967), Director, Writer
- *Degree of Murder* (1967), Director, Writer
- *Neuer Deutscher Film Report* (1967), Actor
- *Young Törless* (1966), Writer, Director
- *Viva Maria!* (1965), Assistant Director
- *Chance at Love* (1964), as German soldier (segment "Chance du guerrier, La") (uncredited)
- *The Fire Within* (1963), Assistant Director
- *Méditerranée* (1963), Co-Director
- *Le Doulos* (1962), as Man in Bar (uncredited) · First Assistant Director
- *A Very Private Affair* (1962), Assistant Director
- *Last Year at Marienbad* (1961), Second Assistant Director
- *Léon Morin, Priest* (1961), as German Soldier (uncredited) · Assistant Director
- *Who Cares...* (1960), Writer, Director, Editor
- *Love Me Again*, Thanks

## Gallery

- ![Volker Schlöndorff](https://film.one/media/person/3907645/gallery-ec7e54fd1aa8.jpg) Volker Schlöndorff — Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/MK35043_Volker_Schl%C3%B6ndorff.jpg/1280px-MK35043_Volker_Schl%C3%B6ndorff.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Veranstaltung "A Soul for Europe" am 13. April 2019 in der Akademie der Künste in Berlin. Representatives of European Parties: Carl Grouwet (ALDE), Damian Boese](https://film.one/media/person/3907645/gallery-b8c457266a18.jpg) Veranstaltung "A Soul for Europe" am 13. April 2019 in der Akademie der Künste in Berlin. Representatives of European Parties: Carl Grouwet (ALDE), Damian Boese — Olaf Kosinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/2019-04-13_Volker_Schl%C3%B6ndorff_by_Olaf_Kosinsky-0698.jpg/1280px-2019-04-13_Volker_Schl%C3%B6ndorff_by_Olaf_Kosinsky-0698.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Volker Schlöndorff and his wife Angelika on the red carpet of the Berlinale 2017 opening film](https://film.one/media/person/3907645/gallery-099ca5b83bcb.jpg) Volker Schlöndorff and his wife Angelika on the red carpet of the Berlinale 2017 opening film — Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/MJK30690_Volker_Schl%C3%B6ndorff_%28Berlinale_2017%29.jpg/1280px-MJK30690_Volker_Schl%C3%B6ndorff_%28Berlinale_2017%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Veranstaltung "A Soul for Europe" am 13. April 2019 in der Akademie der Künste in Berlin. Representatives of European Parties: Carl Grouwet (ALDE), Damian Boese](https://film.one/media/person/3907645/gallery-ccd0e243bee0.jpg) Veranstaltung "A Soul for Europe" am 13. April 2019 in der Akademie der Künste in Berlin. Representatives of European Parties: Carl Grouwet (ALDE), Damian Boese — Olaf Kosinsky, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/2019-04-13_Volker_Schl%C3%B6ndorff_by_Olaf_Kosinsky-0598.jpg/1280px-2019-04-13_Volker_Schl%C3%B6ndorff_by_Olaf_Kosinsky-0598.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Volker Schlöndorff](https://film.one/media/person/3907645/gallery-951ec5cb6c34.jpg) Volker Schlöndorff — Image via TMDB
- ![Volker Schlöndorff auf der Frankfurter Buchmesse 2011](https://film.one/media/person/3907645/gallery-42a5eec68e7a.jpg) Volker Schlöndorff auf der Frankfurter Buchmesse 2011 — JCS, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Frankfurter_Buchmesse_2011_Volker_Schl%C3%B6ndorff_1_cropped.jpeg/1280px-Frankfurter_Buchmesse_2011_Volker_Schl%C3%B6ndorff_1_cropped.jpeg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![L'attore americano Dustin Hoffman con il regista Volker Schlondorff alla Mostra del cinema di Venezia del 1984](https://film.one/media/person/3907645/gallery-58cd6320596d.jpg) L'attore americano Dustin Hoffman con il regista Volker Schlondorff alla Mostra del cinema di Venezia del 1984 — Gorup de Besanez, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Dustin_Hoffman_04.jpg/1280px-Dustin_Hoffman_04.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Cannes Film Festival — 1 won

- 1979: Palme d'Or (won), for *The Tin Drum*

### Berlin International Film Festival — 1 won

- 1995: Berliner Bär (won)

### Other awards — 11 won, 1 nominated

- Goldener Ochse 2024: Goldener Ochse (won)
- German Film Honorary Award 2023: German Film Honorary Award (won)
- Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 2019: Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (won)
- Romy 2018: Romy (won)
- Brüder-Grimm-Poetikprofessur 2011: Brüder-Grimm-Poetikprofessur (won)
- Carl Zuckmayer Medal 2009: Carl Zuckmayer Medal (won)
- Order of Merit of Brandenburg 2008: Order of Merit of Brandenburg (won)
- Bavarian Order of Merit 2003: Bavarian Order of Merit (won)
- honorary doctorate of Artois University 2002: honorary doctorate of Artois University (won)
- Officer of the Legion of Honour 2002: Officer of the Legion of Honour (won)
- Konrad Wolf Prize 1997: Konrad Wolf Prize (won)
- European Film Award for Best Film 1991: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated), for *Voyager*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/volker-schlondorff