Resume
Manuela Bastian was born in Munich. After her Abitur certificate she studied Art at the “Akademie der Bildenden Künste” in Munich from 2009 to 2011. In 2011 she travelled to India and shot the documentary film “Pink Struggle” about a female self-defence group. From 2012 to 2019, Manuela studied directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. During this time she realised several documentaries and short films. Her documentary "Where to, Miss?" about a female taxi driver in India won several awards such as the “Granit - Hofer Documentary Award” and had it‘s cinema release in January 2017.
Today, Manuela is working as a freelance director and writer in Berlin and Munich. In 2024 she completed the fiction short film DON’T CALL ME, I’LL CALL YOU, which got shortlisted for the Young Director Award in Cannes. Currently she is preparing her feature film debut SHADOW BY SHADOW.
Filmography (Selection)
DON’T CALL ME, I’LL CALL YOU
Fiction short film, 24 minutes
Writer & Director
I PROMISED
Short documentary, 8 minutes
Director, Cinematographer, Producer
THE MOST ILLEGAL BEER
Commercial
Director
TEAM WITHOUT A NATION
Documentary / Development
Director
SHADOW BY SHADOW
Feature length film in development
Writer & Director
SERGEANT PEPPER
TV Series Testimonial, 13 Minutes
Director
WHERE TO, MISS?
Feature lenght documentary, 83 Minutes
Writer & Director
PAPA AFRICA
Documentary, 46 Minutes
Writer & Director
PINK STRUGGLE
Documentary, 60 Minutes
Writer, Director, Cinematographer
Awards, Grants, Schoolarships & Script Labs
2024 Shortlist in five categories at NEW YORK FESTIVALS for THE MOST ILLEGAL BEER
2024 Shortlist YDA Young Director Award Cannes, DON'T CALL ME I'LL CALL YOU
2023 Screenplay Funding of MFG Filmförderung, SHADOW BY SHADOW
2022 Script Lab "Drehbuchklausur Kitzbühel"
2021 Participant of "DokART" - Developing program for documentaries
2021 Bavarian Schoolarship for Artists
2019 Screenplay Funding Film- & Medienstiftung NRW, SHADOW BY SHADOW
2019 Research Grant of the Robert Bosch Foundation „Grenzgänger", TEAM WITHOUT A NATION
2017-2019 Scholarship of the Norbert Janssen Foundation
2017 Culture Award Landsberg am Lech
2017 Council of German Filmschools at Berlinale - Pitch Award, SHADOW BY SHADOW
2017 London Feminist Filmfestival – Best Feature Documentary, WHERE TO, MISS?
2017 Nevada Women ś Filmfestival – Best Feature Documentary, WHERE TO, MISS?
2017 Festival Internacional de Cine de Fusagasuga – Best Feature Documentary, WHERE TO, MISS?
2017 Vancouver International Women in Film Festival - Best Editing, WHERETO,MISS?
2016 BKM Distribution funding, WHERE TO MISS?
2016 German Human Rights Award, Filmschool Category, WHERE TO, MISS?
2016 Filmfestival Kitzbühel - Audience Award, WHERE TO, MISS?
2015 Hof International Film Festival - "Granit" Hof Documentary Award, WHERE TO, MISS?
2014 Council of German Filmschools at Berlinale - Pitch Award, WHERE TO, MISS?
Festivals
Complete list here