Edward Berger (born 1970 in Wolfsburg, West Germany) is a Swiss director and screenwriter.

He notably directed German films Jack (2014), All My Loving (2019), and All Quiet on the Western Front (2022).

For the latter of which Berger won multiple awards including the BAFTA awards for Best Direction and Adapted Screenplay.

“With a grown-up actor, if you don’t get it done you just do overtime until you get it eventually, but with a kid you really have to work within a timeframe.”

Edward Berger graduated from Theodor-Heuss-Gymnasium in Wolfsburg. He attended the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig from 1990 to 1991 and then transferred to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where he finished his studies in directing in 1994.

At NYU, he created numerous short films, which were screened at many international film festivals. He gathered his first work experience at the U.S. Independent Production company Good Machine, working, among others, on the films of Ang Lee and Todd Haynes. Additionally, Edward Berger gave lectures and carried out workshops at Columbia University, and at Universität der Künste Berlin and at the HFF Potsdam.

Edward Berger has lived in Berlin since 1997. His first feature based on his own screenplay was Gomez. He also worked as a screenplay author and director for episodes of the television series KDD – Kriminaldauerdienst. Aside from television productions, for which Edward Berger frequently wrote screenplays, he has also directed films.

In 2012, his film A Good Summer [de] was awarded the Grimme-Preis. His film Jack was invited for the Berlinale 2014 and awarded the 2015 German Film Award in silver for the best feature film. Since August 2014, Berger has directed the first five episodes of the eight-part television series Deutschland 83 for UFA Fiction, which premiered at 2015 Berlinale in the section Berlinale Special.

In 2022, Berger co-wrote and directed All Quiet on the Western Front, for which he received an Academy Award for Best Picture nomination, an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay nomination and won the BAFTA Award for Best Direction and the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Filmography (select)

    1998: Gomez – Kopf oder Zahl
    2001: Female 2 Seeks Happy End
    2001, 2002: Schimanski (crime series)
    2004: Bloch (television series)
    2005, 2006: Unter Verdacht (television series)
    2006: Tatort
    2007: Windland (television film; director)
    2008: KDD – Kriminaldauerdienst
    2010: Polizeiruf 110
    2011: A Good Summer [de] (television film)
    2012: Mom's Gotta Go [de] (television film; director)
    2013: Tatort
    2014: Jack (screenwriter and director)
    2015: Deutschland 83 (television series)
    2018: The Terror (television series)
    2018: Patrick Melrose (television series)
    2019: All My Loving
    2020: Your Honor (television series)
    2022: All Quiet on the Western Front
    TBA: Conclave (director)