| Birth Place: | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Occupation: | Film director |
Pia Marais (born 1971) is a South African filmmaker based in Germany.[1]
Pia Marais was born in Johannesburg to a Swedish mother and South African father. She lived in South Africa, Sweden, and Spain as a child.[2]
Marais studied sculpture and photography in London and Amsterdam as well as at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. She went on to study filmmaking at the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin.
Marais directed four short films at the start of her career: Loop (1996), Deranged (1998), Tricky People (1999), and 17 (2003). During this time, she also worked as a casting director and script supervisor.
The Unpolished, Marais' semi-autobiographical feature directorial debut, premiered at the 2007 International Film Festival Rotterdam, where it won a Tiger Award.[3] Her 2010 feature film, At Ellen's Age, starred Jeanne Balibar as a woman who roams the world after abandoning her former life.[4] [5] The film premiered in competition at the Locarno Film Festival in 2010.[6]
Marais' third feature film, the South Africa-set thriller Layla Fourie about a young mother confronting her guilt after a hit and run accident, premiered at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival in 2013, where it was recognized with a special mention by the international jury.[7] [8]
In 2017, Marais became a professor at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. She was one of 45 directors from across Europe who contributed to the 2019 television documentary 24h Europe - The Next Generation.[9]
Transamazonia, Marais' 2024 feature film about a girl in the Amazon rainforest whose father claims she is a faith healer, premiered in competition at the 77th Locarno Film Festival.[10]
Marais resides in Berlin.
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Loop | Short film | ||
| 1998 | Deranged | Short film | ||
| 1999 | Tricky People | Short film | ||
| 2003 | 17 | Short film | ||
| 2007 | The Unpolished | |||
| 2010 | At Ellen's Age | |||
| 2013 | Layla Fourie | |||
| 2024 | Transamazonia |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | International Film Festival Rotterdam | Tiger Award | The Unpolished | |||
| Crossing Europe Film Festival | Crossing Europe Award | |||||
| Durban International Film Festival | Best First Feature | |||||
| Buenos Aires International Film Festival | Signis Award | |||||
| Cine Las Palmas | Special Mention | |||||
| 2010 | Locarno Film Festival | Golden Leopard | At Ellen's Age | |||
| Kinofest Lünen | Best Screenplay | |||||
| 2013 | Berlin International Film Festival | Golden Bear | Layla Fourie | |||
| Special Mention, International Jury | ||||||
| 2024 | Locarno Film Festival | Golden Leopard | Transamazonia |