| Ralf Kirsten | |
| Birth Date: | 30 May 1930 |
| Birth Place: | Leipzig, Germany[1] |
| Death Place: | Berlin, Germany |
| Occupation: | Film director, screenwriter |
| Yearsactive: | 1955–1986 |
Ralf Kirsten (30 May 1930 - 23 January 1998) was a German film director and screenwriter. He directed 22 films between 1955 and 1986. His 1984 film Where Others Keep Silent was entered into the 14th Moscow International Film Festival.[2]
After doing an apprenticeship as an electrician, Kirsten went to university to study German literature and theatre, first at Humboldt University of Berlin, and later the Theater Institute in Weimar.[1] He then went on to study film direction at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU) alongside fellow East German Frank Beyer.[3] He graduated in 1956, and began working in television.[1]
In 1960, Kirsten joined DEFA, the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), where he had previously produced both his FAMU diploma film, Bärenburger Schnurre (English: Bärenburger Farce), and his first feature film, Skimeister von morgen (English: Ski Champions of the Future).[1] His first film for DEFA was Steinzeitballade (English: Stone Age Ballad), an experimental film about rubble women in post-war Berlin, which was well received by critics.[1] In 1961 Kirsten found popular success with Auf der Sonnenseite (English: On the Sunny Side), a comedy about a factory worker who dreams of becoming a star, featuring Manfred Krug in the lead role. Kirsten and Krug would go on to collaborate on several other films.[1]
In 1966, Kirsten directed a film adaptation of Der verlorene Engel, a Franz Fuhmann novel about sculptor Ernst Barlach. The film was initially banned, and was only shown in public for the first time in 1970, with a general release the following year. Kirsten made several films about historical figures, including 1984's Where Others Keep Silent, about the early 20th century German communist leader Clara Zetkin.[1]
When DEFA closed following the reunification of Germany, Kirsten taught at the Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg.[1] He died in Berlin on 23 January 1998.[1]