Nanouk Leopold, a renowned filmmaker born in Rotterdam in 1968, embarked on her artistic journey by graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam in 1992 and later from the Dutch Film and Television Academy in 1998. Her remarkable graduation film, 'Weekend', earned her the prestigious Tuschinski Award for best student film, setting the stage for her future success.
Leopold's debut feature, 'Îles Flottantes', made a significant impression at the IFFR Tiger Competition in 2001. Her subsequent films, 'Guernsey' and 'Wolfsbergen', continued to garner international recognition, with 'Guernsey' being selected for the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs at Cannes in 2005 and 'Wolfsbergen' premiering at the Forum of the Berlinale and the Toronto International Film Festival in 2007.
In 2010, Leopold's film 'Brownian Movement' premiered in Toronto and received its European premiere at the Forum in Berlin in 2011. Her subsequent feature, 'It's all so quiet', opened the Berlinale Panorama Special in 2013, solidifying her position as a prominent figure in the film industry.
Leopold's achievements extend beyond the realm of filmmaking. In 2016, she was inducted as a member of the Society of the Arts of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences. Additionally, she made her theatrical debut in 2017, directing the play 'From the Life of the Marionettes' for the esteemed Amsterdam theatre group TGA.
Leopold's most recent feature film, 'Cobain', had its world premiere at the Berlinale in 2018, where it was showcased in the Generation section. The film went on to receive critical acclaim, winning the award for Best Screenplay at the Lecce European Film Festival and the award for Best Film at the Crossing Europe Film Festival.
