Anne Schlaich, Production Designer

I studied Art History, Psychology and Art Education at Goethe University in Frankfurt where I became interested in colour and spatial awareness/ perception. To further my understanding of these subjects, I attended theatre and film seminars and in 1994 I graduated with a Masters degree. My dissertation and final exhibition were on spatial perception in art and stage design. I gained practical expereince at the Städtischen Bühnen in Frankfurt  and at the Staatstheater Stuttgart. After a six month tailor training apprenticeship, I designed and produced my first stage costumes at various theatres in Munich. Through my brother Frieder Schlaich and his Filmgalerie 451, I moved from theatrical production design to production design for the film industry. At that time, the postgraduate course Production Design had been founded in Rosenheim / Munich, which I completed. I moved to Berlin in 1996, where I initially worked at the Maxim Gorki Theatre in the stage design department. Following this, I worked for a year at the Babelsberg Film Studio on international productions.

Since 1997, I have worked as a freelance production designer, mainly in my native Baden-Württemberg, my adopted home Berlin and also abroad. In 2006, I won the German Television Award for Best Production Design for "My First Friend, Mother and Me". For many years I was a member of the German Production Design  Association, and since 2012 I have been a  member of the German Film Academy (Deutsche Filmakademie). Recently, I have been a teacher and a mentor at the ISFF Berlin, the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and also at the Academy of Fine Arts, Dresden. I am particularly interested in working on thought provoking, challenging and historical films. I enjoy thorough conceptual preparation into the background of the films and work closely with the director and the director of photography to develop the “look” of the film, to make each film distinctive. I have an integrity to my designs which often communicate something very unique to the audience. My intention is that my production design enhances the experience of the actors and the audience, and helps them to engage with the narrative and the deeper meaning of the film.