Christoph Silber
Encyclopedia
Christoph Silber is a screenwriter and film producer born in Berlin
. One of Germany's leading screenwriters, he frequently collaborates on film projects in the United States, his adoptive home.
Tosca
for the Vienna Burgtheater
in 1996 marked his debut as a playwright.
His screenwriting career began in the mid 90's with contributions to German television shows. A genre traveller, Silber worked as a head writer of sitcoms as well as crime series. Inspired by friends in the film business, he began to focus on writing feature films in the late 90's. His breakthrough came in 2001 when director Wolfgang Becker
picked him as a co-writer for the final development phase of Good Bye, Lenin!, which ended up winning multiple awards worldwide and breaking several box office records for German language films. Since then he has collaborated on numerous films, including the award-winning North Face
and Arranged
. Screen International
listed him among the "hottest new screenwriters in Europe" in 2003. Silber is a member of the German Film Academy and of the Writers Guild of America
.
Together with his wife, a New York native, Silber moved to the United States in 2007, where he works with writing and producing partner Stefan Schaefer
at their New York-based company Silver Shepherd. For their 2010 film My Last Day Without You
starring Nicole Beharie
and Ken Duken
, the two also wrote the song lyrics collaborating with composer and producer Scott Jacoby
.
From the early days of his career Silber has been good friends with directors Christian Alvart
, Philipp Stölzl and Academy Award winning filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff
. In the late 2000s he worked on a script with Italian American film legend Terence Hill
.
Teamed with Berlin associate Thorsten Wettcke, Silber wrote critically acclaimed episodes for Germany's legendary feature-length crime series Tatort
. In 2008 the duo's new concept for the Hamburg Tatort was called "a triumph for German quality television" by Der Spiegel
. In 2009 they received the Grimme Award
, the highest honor in German television.
In 2011 the Vilcek Foundation
honored Silber as "an immigrant filmmaker...whose creative spirit enlivens and inspires American cinema."
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. One of Germany's leading screenwriters, he frequently collaborates on film projects in the United States, his adoptive home.
Biography
Raised in a German-English family, Silber studied English and French history and literature in Berlin and London. He worked as an actor, translator and journalist prior to his professional writing career. His adaptation of Puccini'sGiacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
for the Vienna Burgtheater
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater , originally known as K.K. Theater an der Burg, then until 1918 as the K.K. Hofburgtheater, is the Austrian National Theatre in Vienna and one of the most important German language theatres in the world.The Burgtheater was created in 1741 and has become known as "die Burg" by the...
in 1996 marked his debut as a playwright.
His screenwriting career began in the mid 90's with contributions to German television shows. A genre traveller, Silber worked as a head writer of sitcoms as well as crime series. Inspired by friends in the film business, he began to focus on writing feature films in the late 90's. His breakthrough came in 2001 when director Wolfgang Becker
Wolfgang Becker
Wolfgang Becker is a German film director and writer. He is best known to the international audience for his work Good Bye Lenin! .-Biography:...
picked him as a co-writer for the final development phase of Good Bye, Lenin!, which ended up winning multiple awards worldwide and breaking several box office records for German language films. Since then he has collaborated on numerous films, including the award-winning North Face
North Face (film)
North Face is a 2008 German historical fiction film based on a famous 1936 attempt to climb the Eiger north face.-Plot:...
and Arranged
Arranged (film)
Arranged is an independent feature film produced by Cicala Filmworks. The film was written by Stefan Schaefer and is based in part on the story of Yuta Silverman, an Orthodox Jewish woman from Borough Park, Brooklyn and her friendship with a young Muslim woman...
. Screen International
Screen International
Screen International is a multimedia film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by EMAP, a British b2b media company.The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global movie business...
listed him among the "hottest new screenwriters in Europe" in 2003. Silber is a member of the German Film Academy and of the Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
.
Together with his wife, a New York native, Silber moved to the United States in 2007, where he works with writing and producing partner Stefan Schaefer
Stefan Schaefer
Stefan Schaefer is an American writer, director and producer of independent films.-Early Life & Education :Schaefer was born in Boston, spent his childhood in Sussex, England and his adolescent years in Detroit and New York. He studied acting and political theory at Skidmore College and Wesleyan...
at their New York-based company Silver Shepherd. For their 2010 film My Last Day Without You
My Last Day Without You
My Last Day Without You is an independent feature film produced by Cicala Filmworks and Silver Shepherd. The film is directed by Stefan Schaefer, co-written by Schaefer and Christoph Silber, and produced by Diane Crespo, Silber and Schaefer....
starring Nicole Beharie
Nicole Beharie
Nicole Beharie is an American actress, born in West Palm Beach Florida on January 3, 1985.-Early life:She graduated from South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities, where she received a scholarship...
and Ken Duken
Ken Duken
Ken Duken is a German actor.Ken Duken is the third child of film and stage actress Christina Loeb; his father is a doctor. Duken never attended a drama school but took courses in drama, including under James Reynold...
, the two also wrote the song lyrics collaborating with composer and producer Scott Jacoby
Scott Jacoby (producer)
Scott Adam Jacoby is an American record producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, engineer and recording artist. A Grammy Award-winner in 2006, Scott has worked with John Legend, Vanessa Hudgens, Naturally 7, Fabolous, Jose James, Laura Izibor, Dutch platinum-selling rock group Kane, and...
.
From the early days of his career Silber has been good friends with directors Christian Alvart
Christian Alvart
Christian Alvart is a German filmmaker and screenwriter.Prior to working in the film business Christian Alvart worked in various positions, most recently as a senior editor at Filmmagzin X-TRO. In 1999 he made his debut as a film director with the thriller Curiosity & the Cat, for which he also...
, Philipp Stölzl and Academy Award winning filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff
Volker Schlöndorff
Volker Schlöndorff is a Berlin-based German filmmaker who has worked in Germany, France and the United States...
. In the late 2000s he worked on a script with Italian American film legend Terence Hill
Terence Hill
Terence Hill is an Italian actor. He is best known for starring in multiple action and western films together with his longtime filmpartner Bud Spencer.-Biography:...
.
Teamed with Berlin associate Thorsten Wettcke, Silber wrote critically acclaimed episodes for Germany's legendary feature-length crime series Tatort
Tatort
Tatort is a long-running German/Austrian/Swiss , crime television series set in various parts of these countries. The show is broadcast on the channels of ARD in Germany, ORF 2 in Austria and SF1 in Switzerland...
. In 2008 the duo's new concept for the Hamburg Tatort was called "a triumph for German quality television" by Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
. In 2009 they received the Grimme Award
Adolf Grimme Awards
The Adolf Grimme Award is a television award and one of the most prestigious awards for German television, which is named after the first general director of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Adolf Grimme . It is also called the "German TV Oscar".The awards ceremony takes place annually at Theater Marl...
, the highest honor in German television.
In 2011 the Vilcek Foundation
The Vilcek Foundation
The Vilcek Foundation aims to raise public awareness of the contributions of immigrants to the sciences, arts, and culture in the United States.The Foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia...
honored Silber as "an immigrant filmmaker...whose creative spirit enlivens and inspires American cinema."
Theatrical
- 2001: Brooklyn Bridge (short; writer)
- 2001: Julietta (writer)
- 2003: Good Bye, Lenin! (writer)
- 2004: The Ring Thing (writer, producer)
- 2006: Ice Wind (short; writer, director, actor)
- 2007: ArrangedArranged (film)Arranged is an independent feature film produced by Cicala Filmworks. The film was written by Stefan Schaefer and is based in part on the story of Yuta Silverman, an Orthodox Jewish woman from Borough Park, Brooklyn and her friendship with a young Muslim woman...
(script consultant) - 2007: Mrs. Ratcliffe's Revolution (script consultant)
- 2008: Die Tränen meiner Mutter (writer)
- 2008: North FaceNorth Face (film)North Face is a 2008 German historical fiction film based on a famous 1936 attempt to climb the Eiger north face.-Plot:...
(writer) - 2010: Devil's Kickers (writer)
- 2010: The Albanian (writer)
- 2010: Young Goethe In Love (script consultant)
- 2011: My Last Day Without You (writer, producer)
Television
- 2000: Trivial Pursuit (writer)
- 2004: My Best Years (series; head writer)
- 2006-2010: Der Kriminalist (series; writer & head writer)
- 2006-today: Tatort (series, writer & head writer)
- 2010: Love Is Just A Word (writer)
- 2011: Girl On The Ocean Floor (writer)
Awards and nominations
- 2001 Brooklyn Film Festival: Best Film Julietta
- 2004 European Film Award: Best Screenplay, Best Film Good Bye, Lenin!
- 2005 Golden Globe AwardGolden Globe AwardThe Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
: Best Foreign Film Good Bye, Lenin! (nominated) - 2007 Brooklyn Film Festival: Best Film ArrangedArranged (film)Arranged is an independent feature film produced by Cicala Filmworks. The film was written by Stefan Schaefer and is based in part on the story of Yuta Silverman, an Orthodox Jewish woman from Borough Park, Brooklyn and her friendship with a young Muslim woman...
- 2009 German Film Critics Award: Best Screenplay North FaceNorth Face (film)North Face is a 2008 German historical fiction film based on a famous 1936 attempt to climb the Eiger north face.-Plot:...
- 2009 Golden CameraVerleihung der Goldenen KameraThe GOLDENE KAMERA is an annual German film and television award, awarded by the television magazine HÖRZU. The gold-plated silver award model was created by Berlin artist Wolfram Beck...
: Best TV Film Tatort: Auf der Sonnenseite (nominated) - 2009 Adolf Grimme AwardsAdolf Grimme AwardsThe Adolf Grimme Award is a television award and one of the most prestigious awards for German television, which is named after the first general director of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Adolf Grimme . It is also called the "German TV Oscar".The awards ceremony takes place annually at Theater Marl...
: Audience Award Tatort: Auf der Sonnenseite - 2011 Max OphülsMax OphülsMaximillian Oppenheimer — known as Max Ophüls — was an influential German-born film director who worked in Germany , France , the United States , and France again...
Award: Best Film The Albanian - 2011 Brooklyn Film Festival: Best Producer My Last Day Without You
- 2011 Hawaii International Film FestivalHawaii International Film FestivalThe Hawaii International Film Festival is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks...
: AIFP honoree, sponsored by the Vilcek FoundationThe Vilcek FoundationThe Vilcek Foundation aims to raise public awareness of the contributions of immigrants to the sciences, arts, and culture in the United States.The Foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia...
External links
- http://www.chrissilber.com Personal Blog