Margarethe von Trotta was born in Berlin in 1942. In the 1960s she moved to Paris where she worked for film collectives, collaborating on scripts and co-directing short films. She also pursued an acclaimed acting career, starring in films by well known German directors such as 'Rainer Werner Fassbinder' , von Trotta's position as New German Cinema's most prominent and successful female filmmaker was fully secured. Her films feature strong female protagonists, and are usually set against an important political background. Themes in her work include the effect of the political on the personal, and vice versa, as well as the relationships between female characters, often sisters.
Has a son, Felix, with Jrgen Moeller.
Daughter of Alfred Roloff, a painter.
After studying art, germanistics and Roman languages in Dsseldorf and Munich, she attended acting lessons.
Resides in Paris.
Member of the jury at the Venice Film Festival in 1980.
Member of the jury at the Venice Film Festival in 1995.
She is fluent in several languages: Italian, English and French.
