She is a graduate of the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF Munich) and additionally holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Hildesheim.
As a screenwriter, director and executive producer, she completed her diploma studies at the HFF Munich with the feature film and the mini-series of the same name 'Clashing Differences'. The two formats are a co-production between a.little film production, Sperl Film- und Fernsehproduktion and HFF Munich, in collaboration with ZDF - Das kleine Fernsehspiel and ARTE.
During her studies at the HFF, Merle Grimme attended various writers' labs with industry greats such as Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Memoire of a Geisha), Taç Romey, Robert Krause and Florian Puchert.
The feature film 'Clashing Differences' celebrated its shared world premiere at the International Film Festival Munich (New German Cinema) and the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco. The feature film was nominated in all categories of the 'New German Cinema' award at the International Film Festival Munich (Best Director, Best Production, Best Screenplay, Best Acting Performance). As a screenwriter, Merle Grimme won the award for 'Best Screenplay'. As a director, she won the 'Big Audience Award' of the 'First Steps Awards 2023' with the series of the same name and became a Junior Member of the German Film Academy. Further awards for 'Clashing Differences' followed, as well as a nomination for the 'Bunte New Faces Award 2024' for Best Debut Film.
As executive producer, she developed an anti-discriminatory and inclusive production concept especially for 'Clashing Differences', which was tested on various levels and implemented in essential parts.
Additional directorial work by Merle Grimme includes the documentary film 'Regretting Motherhood', which was invited to several national/international film festivals and panel discussions. Her social spot 'The German desire of having children?' won the 'Jury Prize for the ZEIT Legacy Study', was honored as 'ZEIT Online best of 2017' and achieved over 500,000 views online.
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
WINNER OF FIRST STEPS AWARD – BIG AUDIENCE AWARD
CLASHING DIFFERENCES
WINNER OF GERMAN CINEMA NEW TALENT AWARD – BEST SCREENPLAY
INT. FILM FESTIVAL MUNICH
CLASHING DIFFERENCES
WINNER OF THE AUDIENCE AWARD – BEST FEATURE FILM
AFRIKA FILM FESTIVAL KÖLN
CLASHING DIFFERENCES
WINNER OF THE DON-QUIJOTE PREIS – BEST FEATURE FILM
QUEER FILM FESTIVAL WEITERSTADT
CLASHING DIFFERENCES
JURY-AWARD-WINNER OF THE ZEIT LEGACY STUDY FILM COMPETITION
ZEIT CONFERENCE
THE GERMAN DESIRE OF HAVING CHILDREN
NOMINATED FOR NEW FACES AWARD – BEST DEBUT FILM
CLASHING DIFFERENCES
NOMINATED FOR JUPITER AWARD – BEST FEATURE FILM FOR TELEVISION
CLASHING DIFFERENCES
NOMINATED FOR JULIANE BARTEL MEDIENPREIS – FIKTION & ENTERTAINMENT
CLASHING DIFFERENCES
NOMINATED FOR YOUNG FILMMAKERS AWARD
DOK.FEST MÜNCHEN
REGRETTING MOTHERHOOD
NOMINATED FOR DAS GOLDENE GLÜHWÜRMCHEN
INT. FÜNF SEEN FILMFESTIVAL
REGRETTING MOTHERHOOD
SELECTED WORK
CLASHING DIFFERENES (2023)
feature film & miniseries
To avoid being canceled, the “House of Womxn” association has to adapt its planned panel for the international women's con-ference as quickly as possible according to the rules of the diversity checklist. This leads to a clash between their very different guests in the abandoned clubhouse, which initially reveals painful differences, but also reinforcing similarities.
@clashingdifferences
#clashingdifferences
WATCH CD ON ARTE
WATCH THE MAKING OF ON ZDF
AWARDS:
BIG AUDIENCE AWARD – FIRST STEPS AWARD / German Film Academy
BEST SCREENPLAY - NEW GERMAN CINEMA @ 40th Int. Filmfest Munich
AUDIENCE AWARD – BEST FEATURE FILM
@ Afrika Filmfest Köln
DON QUIJOTE PREIS – BESTER SPIELFILM @Queer Filmfest Weiterstadt
FESTIVALS:
Int. Filmfestival Munich, Germany
Raindance Film Festival, London, UK
Frameline Festival, San Francisco, California, USA
Outfest Festival, LA, California, USA
Vancouver Queer Film Festival, Vancouver, Canada
Out on Screen, Vancouver, Canada
AGLIFF Austin’s LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Austin, Texas, USA
Newfest - The New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival, NY, USA
Hamburg Int. Queer Film Festival, Hamburg, Germany
African Film Festival Zurich, Switzerland
Pop Kultur Festival, Berlin, Germany
Out On Film Festival, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Oslo / Fusion Int. Film Festival, Oslo, Norway
Afrika Filmfest Köln, Köln, Germany
Int. Filmfest Braunschweig (Out of Competition), Braunschweig, Germany
AfryKamera, Warsaw, Poland
African Diaspora Int. Film Festival, NY, USA
Q-Fest University of Wisconsin, USA
Slovak Queer Film Festival, Bratislava, Slowakia
Goethe Institute, Dialogues 2023, Calcutta, India
Goethe Institute, Ecru's Mixtes, Lyon, France
Freiburger Lesbenfilmtage, Freiburg, Germany
Queer Film Festival Esslingen, Germany
NOMINATIONS:
Best Director (Merle Grimme)
Best Screenplay (Merle Grimme)
Best Production (Miriam Klein)
Best Actor (Safak Sengül, Rabea Lüthi) – New German Cinema – 40th Munich Int. Film Festival, Germany
Best Debut Film – Bunte New Faces Award (Merle Grimme)
Best Feature Film for Television – Jupiter Award
DER DEUTSCHE KINDERWUNSCH? (2017)
THE GERMAN DESIRE FOR HAVING CHILDREN?
social spot
MORE
TAKING TIME (2015)
(orig. MAL ZEIT)
short documentary film, 16mm
Everyone wants children. And once you have children, everything will work out OK.A promise that is not always fulfilled and not for every woman. The film addresses the questions: Why does a woman (not) want children? What effect does it have on her and on her role in society?
Produced for theShort Film Competition of ZEIT Legacy Study
Sponsored by: Federal Foreign Office
In cooperation with: DFA Production (German Film Academy), infas and WZB
AWARDS:
Jury Award - ZEIT Vermächtnisstudie
sponsored by Federal Foreign Office
INTO FILMMAKING (2014)
(orig. IM FILMDING DRIN)
short documentary
NEUGIER (2013)
(original. CURIOSITY)
short film, fiction
WAITING FOR X (2013)
(orig. WARTEN AUF X)
short documentary film
HORTENSIEN HOTEL (2011)
short film, fiction, 16mm
REGRETTING MOTHERHOOD (2017)
short documentary essay film