Emily Atef

Emily Atef
Atef at the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival
Born (1973-05-06) 6 May 1973 (age 51)[1]
Berlin, Germany[2]
Occupations
  • Director
  • screenwriter
  • actress[3]
Years active2003–present

Emily Atef (Persian: امیلی عاطف; born May 6, 1973)[1] is a German-French-Iranian[4] filmmaker.[5][6][7]

Early life

[edit]

At the age of 7,[8] Atef moved from Berlin to Los Angeles with her French-Iranian parents and her brother, the drummer Cyril Atef.[9] She was 13 when they moved to France, where Atef finished school; later she moved to London to work as an actor in the London theater scene. Atef returned to Berlin to study film direction at the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB).[10]

Career

[edit]

While finishing her studies at the DFFB, Atef directed her first feature-length film Molly's Way which, like her 2 following feature films was co-authored by Esther Bernstorff. The film won the esteemed Newcomer Award at the Munich International Film Festival (Filmfest München) for best script and the Grand Jury Award at the Mar del Plata Film Festival, among several other awards.[11] Her second feature-length film Das Fremde in mir (The Stranger in Me) had its world premiere at the prestigious International Critics' Week of the Cannes Film Festival.[12] and won numerous awards. For the development of her third feature film, Töte Mich (Kill Me), she received a scholarship from the Cinéfondation of the Cannes Film Festival. The film was distributed by Les Films du Losange.

Atef's next project for the big screen was 3 Days in Quiberon.[13] Written and directed by Atef, it depicts three emotional days for one of Europe's biggest stars and icons, Romy Schneider. 3 Days in Quiberon had its world premiere in the competition section of the 68th Berlin International Film Festival[14] and competed for the Golden Bear. 3 Days in Quiberon was the big winner at the German Academy Awards[15] in 2018 taking home seven Lolas: The Golden Lola for Best Film as well as statuettes for Best Director for Atef, Lead Actress Marie Bäumer, Supporting Actors Birgit Minichmayr and Robert Gwisdek, DoP Thomas W. Kiennast, and Composers Christoph M. Kaiser and Julian Maas.[citation needed]

The film was followed by Atef's first French film, More Than Ever (Plus Que Jamais), starring Vicky Krieps and Gaspard Ulliel in his last cinematic role. The film premiered in the section Un Certain Regard at the 75th Cannes Film Festival.[16] More Than Ever was critically acclaimed: Robert Abele for the Los Angeles Times wrote, "director and co-writer Emily Atef's thoughtful character study, anchored by one of the current film landscape's great actors, Phantom Thread's Vicky Krieps, is to eschew sentimentality and foreground a search for a new, unexplored peace."[17] Writing for Indiewire, Steph Green said, "Atef bypasses the inevitable funeral and instead closes off with what is surely one of the best sex scenes in recent cinematic memory."[18]

Someday We'll Tell Each Other Everything (German: Irgendwann werden wir uns alles erzählen) is Atef's first novel adaptation, based on the novel of the same name by Daniela Krien who also co-adapted the novel with Atef for the screen. The film starring Marlene Burow and Felix Kramer is set in the summer of 1990 in the former East Germany, and follows a young woman who begins a relationship with a charismatic horse breeder twice her age. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 17 February 2023.

Atef's prolific body of work also contains several films for TV and streaming, among them TV dramas Wunschkinder[19] written by the Grimme-Preis winner Dorothee Schön and produced by X Filme Creative Pool, Königin der Nacht[20] (Queen of the Night) and Macht euch keine Sorgen[21] (Don't worry, I'm fine). She was also responsible for the black comedy episode for Germany's oldest and most acclaimed crime series Tatort, Tatort: Falscher Hase (Run Rabbit Run) that she co-wrote and directed, inspired by the Coen Brothers' film Fargo.[22] Shortly after she directed the thriller Jackpot,[23] nominated for the renowned German TV award Goldene Kamera.[24]

In 2022, Atef directed 2 episodes of the 4th and last season of the black comedy series Killing Eve , Episode 5 Don't Get Attached.[25] and Episode 6 Oh Goodie, I'm the Winner, which was the best-rated episode of the season.[26]

Favourite films

[edit]

In 2022, Atef participated in the Sight & Sound film polls of that year. It is held every ten years to select the greatest films of all time, by asking contemporary directors to select ten films of their choice.[27]

Atef selections were:

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Film Credited as Notes Ref(s)
Director Writer
2003 XX to XY: Fighting to Be Jake Yes No Short film [28]
2004 Marseille No No As actress [29][30]
2002 "XX to XY: Fighting to be Jake Yes Yes
2005 Molly's Way Yes Yes [31]
2008 The Stranger in Me Yes Yes [32]
2012 Kill Me [de] Yes Yes [33]
2018 3 Days in Quiberon Yes Yes [34]
2022 More Than Ever Yes Yes [35][36]
2023 Someday We'll Tell Each Other Everything Yes Yes

Television

[edit]
Year Title Notes
2015 Queen of the Night [de][37] TV film
2016 Wunschkinder[19] TV film
2017 Macht euch keine Sorgen[21] TV Film aka Don't worry, I'm fine
2019 Tatort: Falscher Hase TV series episode
2020 Jackpot[38] TV film
2022 Killing Eve TV series episode [39]

Accolades

[edit]
  • An advancement award for Molly's Way
  • German Independence Awards for The Stranger in Me[40]
  • Otto Sprenger Award for The Stranger in Me

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Emily Atef | La Semaine de la Critique of Festival de Cannes". La Semaine de la Critique of Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Swiss Films: Emily Atef". swissfilms.ch. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  3. ^ "An Interview with Emily Atef, Celebrated German Filmmaker & Producer". Archived from the original on 8 March 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  4. ^ "Berlinale | Archive | Annual Archives | 2018 | Programme - 3 Tage in Quiberon | 3 Days in Quiberon". Berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  5. ^ "The Stranger In Me". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Emily Atef • Director". Cineuropa – the best of european cinema. 24 March 2009. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  7. ^ Barraclough, Leo (11 February 2015). "Berlin: '3 Days in Quiberon' Takes Berlinale Co-Production Market Prize". Variety. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  8. ^ "Emily Atef – Festival Scope: Festivals on Demand for Film Professionals World Wide". pro.festivalscope.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  9. ^ "Tue moi Toete mich" (in French). Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  10. ^ content_manager_nh (28 October 2020). "Success for DFFB students and alumni at the 54th International Hofer Film Festival". DFFB. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Noch ein Festivalpreis für Emily Atefs "Molly's Way"". Die Welt. 19 March 2006. Retrieved 2 December 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  12. ^ "The Stranger In Me (Das Fremde In Mir)". 22 May 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  13. ^ "3 Days in Quiberon Takes Berlinale Co-Production Market Prize". Variety. 11 February 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  14. ^ "Berlin Film Festival Fleshes Out Competition Lineuphttp". 15 January 2018. Archived from the original on 22 February 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  15. ^ "3 Days in Quiberon wins 7 Lolas at German Film Awards". 1 May 2018. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  16. ^ The 75th Festival de Cannes: Horaires des Projections Screenings Guide Archived 24 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine. In: festival-cannes.com, (access date May 23, 2022).
  17. ^ Abele, Robert (20 October 2023). "Review: A hypnotic Vicky Krieps confronts mortality's ticking clock in 'More Than Ever'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  18. ^ Green, Steph (21 May 2022). "'More Than Ever' Review: Gaspard Ulliel's Final Film Is About the Cruelty of Death". IndieWire. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  19. ^ a b ""Es sollte bewusst kein Film über Adoption werden" | FilmMittwoch im Ersten". Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen (ARD) (in German). Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  20. ^ "Königin der Nacht". Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen (ARD) (in German). Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  21. ^ a b "Drehstart für das WDR/ARD-Familiendrama "Macht euch keine Sorgen"|" (in German). June 2017. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  22. ^ "not found". www.daserste.de. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  23. ^ "Jackpot". filmportal.de (Database) (in German). n.d. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  24. ^ "not private". stage.goldenekamera.de. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  25. ^ Atef, Emily (20 March 2022), Don't Get Attached, Killing Eve, Imogen Daines, Siggi Ingvarsson, Teresa Klamert, retrieved 24 January 2024
  26. ^ "Oh Goodie, I'm the Winner". IMDb.
  27. ^ "Emily Atef | BFI". www.bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  28. ^ "Emily Atef | filmportal.de". filmportal.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  29. ^ "Dubai International Film Festival | Emily Atef". Dubai International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  30. ^ "Casting de Marseille". Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  31. ^ "Droga Molly / Molly's Way" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  32. ^ "Obcy we mnie / Das Fremde in mir" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  33. ^ "Töte mich" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  34. ^ "3 Tage in Quibéron (2017)". en.unifrance.org. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  35. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (4 March 2021). "Emily Atef Readies Shoot of 'More Than Ever' With Vicky Krieps, Gaspard Ulliel (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  36. ^ "Plus Que Jamais de Emily Atef". Eaux Vives Productions. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  37. ^ "Königin der Nacht". Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen (ARD) (in German). Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  38. ^ "Jackpot". filmportal.de (Database) (in German). n.d. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  39. ^ "Killing Eve (2021)". The Hollywood Reporter. 10 April 2022.
  40. ^ Meza, Ed (15 September 2008). "Oldenburg fest honors 'Stranger'". Variety. Archived from the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
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