Maria
von Heland

Born in Sweden. Trained in the United States, under Alexander Mackendrick. Based in Berlin for most of her working life. Works in English, German, Swedish and French.

Early shorts — Chainsmoker, Real Men Eat Meat (shot in Mongolia) — travelled from Biarritz to São Paulo, Bombay to Valenciennes. The feature debut Big Girls Don't Cry (2002) brought the screen debuts of Anna Maria Mühe and Karoline Herfurth.

Through the 2000s and 2010s — writing features (England!, The Rainbowmaker, Hilde, Hector and the Search for Happiness), directing in Sweden — the feature Sök and the two-part thriller Den som viskar, with Pernilla August — and directing for German television: fairy-tale films, primetime crime, drama. Co-created the twenty-six-episode Heirs of the Night with Diederik van Rooijen, filmed across six countries. At the European Film Academy, Artistic Director and Writer of the European Film Awards, 2008 — 2018.

In 2021 founded Tindra Film with Johnny West. The first Tindra production, Sunshine Eyes, was conceived, shot and finished inside the Berlin lockdown — and won the International Panorama Jury Award at Séries Mania. Most recently directed Slava the Dog for ARD and NDR, and is currently in production on Alea Aquarius — co-produced by Red Balloon, Maze Pictures, ZDF, ZDF Studios and Umedia.

Other directing credits — fairy-tale films, episodes of German crime series — collected under TV.

Education

• California Institute of the Arts — MFA in Directing, under Alexander Mackendrick
• Rider University — BA in Journalism and Television Communications

Selected Awards

• International Panorama Jury Award — Séries Mania 2022, Sunshine Eyes
• Bayerischer Fernsehpreis — Sterntaler
• Three International Emmy Nominations — Sterntaler, Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren, Heirs of the Night
• Jupiter Award Nomination — Solo für Weiss: Für immer Schweigen
• Goldener Biber — Große Mädchen weinen nicht
• Verband der deutschen Filmkritik · Best Screenplay — England!
• Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Short Film Award — Chainsmoker

Memberships & Roles

• European Film Academy — Artistic Director and Writer of the European Film Awards, 2008–2018
• European Film Academy — Member
• European Women's Audiovisual Network (EWA) — Member
• Bundesverband Regie (BVR) — Member
• ProQuote Regie — Member
• Verband Deutscher Drehbuchautoren (VDD) — Member
• Tindra Film, Berlin — Founder