Pia Marais

Director, Screenwriter, Producer

Born in 1971 in South Africa. She studied sculpture and photography at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London, at Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam and at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. She then went on to study film at the DFFB (Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie) in Berlin, where she resides. She directed shorts and worked as casting director and assistant director. Her debut feature THE UNPOLISHED (2007) won various festival prizes, among them the Golden Tiger Award in Rotterdam. AT ELLEN'S AGE (2010) was developed at the Residence of the Cannes Festival. LAYLA FOURIE (2013) premiered in Berlin's official competition and won a Special Mention. After directing a number of documentaires, her most recent fiction film TRANSAMAZONIA (2024) premieres in Locarno's competition. She is also developing WHITE HORSE, alongside Karim Aïnouz, a series produced by the American channel FX and Dirty Films.

Filmography
(a selection)

Director

2024
Transamazonia by Pia Marais

Screenwriter

2024
Transamazonia by Pia Marais

Producer

2024
Transamazonia by Pia Marais
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