Manfred Becker
Encyclopedia
Manfred Becker is a critically acclaimed German-Canadian
documentary
independent filmmaker and film editor. His work often explores personal stories behind current or historical issues.
Born and raised in Wilhelmshaven
, Germany, Becker moved to Canada in 1983. Since 2001, Becker has been writing and directing documentaries for television, his latest, a look at the phenomenon of tourists seeking out places of conflict and fear entitled Dark Tourism, being the eighth. In the past decade Becker has written and directed eight documentaries for television, earning him numerous nominations and awards. His film Fatherland won the Donald Brittain Gemini Award
in 2006 for Best Documentary and was screened at Hot Docs
and several other festivals internationally.
, Nettie Wild and Paul Jay
that have won Gemini, Genie
and Chalmers awards and an International Emmy among others. In addition to a Gemini award for Best Editing on Wrestling with Shadows (1999), Becker's work on Thin Ice (2000) was nominated for the same category. Becker's work on A Place Called Chiapas led to a Hot Docs award.
German-Canadian
German Canadians are Canadians of ethnic German ancestry. The 2006 Canadian census put the number of Canadians of German ethnicity at 3,179,425. Only a small fraction of German Canadians are descendants of immigrants from what is today Germany...
documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
independent filmmaker and film editor. His work often explores personal stories behind current or historical issues.
Born and raised in Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
, Germany, Becker moved to Canada in 1983. Since 2001, Becker has been writing and directing documentaries for television, his latest, a look at the phenomenon of tourists seeking out places of conflict and fear entitled Dark Tourism, being the eighth. In the past decade Becker has written and directed eight documentaries for television, earning him numerous nominations and awards. His film Fatherland won the Donald Brittain Gemini Award
Gemini Award
The Gemini Awards are annual television broadcasting industry awards in Canada.First awarded in 1986, the Geminis celebrate the achievements of TV members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. Essentially, it presents awards for the best television productions in Canada. Awards are...
in 2006 for Best Documentary and was screened at Hot Docs
Hot Docs
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is North America's largest documentary film festival, conference, and market, held annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
and several other festivals internationally.
Awards
Becker has edited feature length documentaries for Canadian filmmakers Sturla GunnarssonSturla Gunnarsson
Sturla Gunnarsson is a Canadian film director.Gunnarsson was born in Iceland in 1951. He moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, with his parents when he was seven years old. As he grew up he became interested in filmmaking and went to the University of British Columbia where he completed...
, Nettie Wild and Paul Jay
Paul Jay
Paul Jay is a journalist and filmmaker, and is creator and CEO of The Real News. Jay was born and raised in Toronto and holds dual-citizenship with the United States. Jay is the nephew of screenwriter Ted Allan.- Film and television work :...
that have won Gemini, Genie
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
and Chalmers awards and an International Emmy among others. In addition to a Gemini award for Best Editing on Wrestling with Shadows (1999), Becker's work on Thin Ice (2000) was nominated for the same category. Becker's work on A Place Called Chiapas led to a Hot Docs award.
Personal life
Becker is married to Susan Meggs, whom he met at a screening in Toronto, where the couple currently reside. They have two children, Jonas and Sebastian, aged 18 and 15.Filmography
- Death of a Warrior (2001). A documentary about the bombing of the GreenpeaceGreenpeaceGreenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
vessel "Rainbow Warrior". For History TelevisionHistory TelevisionHistory Television is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel that presents programming about history and some non-historical programming of military, science and technology interest. It is owned by Shaw Media. Its French language counterpart is Historia.The channel operates two... - Neighbours (2003) A Historical documentary about the crossing paths of Sigmund FreudSigmund FreudSigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
and Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
in a fin-de-siecle Vienna. For History Television - The Life of Me (2003) A vérité documentary following the workshop of a play for the "Madness in the Arts Festival" featuring actors with mental illness. For TVOntarioTVOntarioTVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
- The Siege (2004) Historical documentary on the 1999 siege of a UN compound in East TimorEast TimorThe Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
. For History Television - Fatherland (2004) Feature-length personal essay documentary on history, memory and fatherhood. For History Television
- Hitler's Children: Germany in Autumn 1977 (2006). For History Television
- Diamond Road (2007) 3x one-hour HD documentary series on the global diamond industry. For Discovery Times & DISCOVERY HD, ARTE, ZDF, NHK, Australian and French TV
- Dark Tourism (2008) Vérité documentary on the phenomenon of tourists seeking out places of conflict and fear. For History Television