Hanna Schygulla, turning 80 on December 25, just finished filming on the North Sea and has a new project lined up. Despite health crises, the distinguished actress continues to push forward, working on translation projects and documentaries. Schygulla, famously discovered by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, credits him as the driving force behind her successful career in the film industry. She has collaborated with numerous directors across Europe, including Volker Schlöndorff, Jean-Luc Godard, and Carlos Saura.
Hanna's childhood was marked by displacement, as she moved to Munich with her mother as a refugee from Upper Silesia after World War II. Today, she remains connected to those moving between cultures, such as the Kurdish girls she instructed in Berlin and the young Ukrainian filmmakers with whom she recently collaborated as a member of an online jury.
Her birthday celebration with friends from Paris and Brussels is the first time she's commemorated the event in such a manner. In Munich, Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) acknowledged Schygulla's significant contributions to the film scene. Moreover, she has been a multifaceted talent, transitioning from acting to chanson singing and film directing. With an upcoming trilogy and an autobiography translation in the works, Schygulla shows no signs of slowing down.
- A native of Upper Silesia, Hanna Schygulla relocated to Munich with her mother as a refugee after World War II.
- Schygulla credits Rainer Werner Fassbinder as the driving force behind her fame and international recognition in the film industry.
- Her collaborations with Volker Schlöndorff, Jean-Luc Godard, and Carlos Saura, among others, further expanded her artistic range.
- During her early acting career, Hanna balanced the wholesome roles suggested by her father with the kleine german girl's independence – an identity that molded her into the personality she is today.
- Hanna's devotion to her parents, who struggled in both her childhood and adult life, inspired her to be a caregiver for them.
- Schygulla's chanson singing and film directing ventures were prominent aspects of her multifaceted talent, leading to her global recognition.
- In recent years, she's engaged with those moving between cultures, notably collaborating with Kurdish girls and Ukrainian filmmakers.
- Schygulla believes her longevity in the industry and maintaining her authenticity are testaments to her uniqueness as an actress.
- The trilogy she recently completed with director Ameer Fakher Eldin explores themes of otherness and identity, fittingly set in Hamburg.
- Schygulla's autobiography, "Wake up and dream," is being translated into French for a future publication.
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