Merle Grimme is a graduate of the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF Munich), holds a B.A. of Arts from the University of Hildesheim, and is a junior member of the German Film Academy.

In addition to her directing studies, she also attended various writers' labs at the HFF Munich with industry greats such as Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Memoire of a Geisha), Taç Romey, Robert Krause and Florian Puchert.

As a screenwriter, director and executive producer, she completed her diploma studies at the HFF Munich with the satirical feature film and the mini-series of the same name 'Clashing Differences'. The two formats were produced in collaboration with ZDF - Das kleine Fernsehspiel and ARTE.

Among other awards and nominations, Merle Grimme has won the FIRST STEPS AWARD (Big Audience Award), the NEW GERMAN AWARD (Best Screenplay) at the Int. Filmfest Munich, and the NEW STARS AWARD (Best Debut Film / Director).

Her additional directorial work 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.

In 2024, she directed 3 episodes of the hit comedy series 'Doppelhaushälfte' (ZDF, 4th season), which will be released in 2025.

COMING SOON

2025

DOPPELHAUSHÄLFTE - STAFFEL 4, ZDF

REGIE: MERLE GRIMME (3 FOLGEN)

Iconoclast Films

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 ZDF HERE

WATCH CD ON ARTE HERE

WATCH THE MAKING OF ON ZDF HERE

AWARDS:

BEST DEBUT FILM – NEW STARS AWARD

@Deutscher Filmball

BIG AUDIENCE AWARD – FIRST STEPS AWARD

@First Steps / 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

TAKING TIME (2015)

(orig. MAL ZEIT)

short documentary film, 16mm

WAITING FOR X (2013)

(orig. WARTEN AUF X)

short documentary film

DER DEUTSCHE KINDERWUNSCH? (2017)

THE GERMAN DESIRE FOR HAVING CHILDREN?

social spot

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

MORE PROJECTS

INTO FILMMAKING (2014)

(orig. IM FILMDING DRIN)

short documentary

REGRETTING MOTHERHOOD (2017)

short documentary essay film

As in many countries, motherhood is something sacred to the German people. This makes it almost impossible to question the status quo, for women to speak openly and honestly about what it means to be a mother. In 2015 a conversation opened up throughout the country, about 'Regretting Motherhood'. This is the first documentary approaching this important debate, giving women a platform to talk freely and anonymously about their feelings and experiences.

FESTIVALS / SCREENINGS / TALKS:

bi'bakino Bi'bak

Filmschool Fest Munich 

bi'bakino Bi'bak

Etiuda&Anima 2017 Kraków (Poland)

filmzeitkaufbeuren 

Fünf Seen Festival 

23rd International Short Film Week Regensburg 

Berlinale Empfang der Filmhochschulen - Pitch

creativ laboratory-fem:power Oldenburg Göttingen Centre for Genderstudies (GCC)

dortmunder tresen festival

University of Hildesheim "What We Mean By Feminism"

NOMINATIONS:

DOK.forum - marketplace 2017| Projects Young Filmmakers Award 2016

@DOK.fest

Das Goldene Glühwürmchen

@Int. Fünf Seen Filmfestival

NEUGIER (2013)

(original. CURIOSITY)

short film, fiction

HORTENSIEN HOTEL (2011)

short film, fiction, 16mm