Jan Bonny
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Jan Bonny is a multi-award winning screenwriter and director. His work spans across feature film, art film, theater, and advertising. His graduation film at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (KHM), “Gegenüber,” starring Matthias Brandt, with whom he still has a close collaboration, premiered at the 2007 Cannes International Film Festival. The film went on to win the Best Screenplay Award at the Munich Film Festival and received a nomination for “European Discovery” at the European Film Awards.
In 2018 he was also invited to the Locarno Competition for “Wintermärchen,” a radical portrait of a three-person terror cell. It screened worldwide and received seven nominations and three wins at the German Critics Awards 2020, including Best Film.
In his numerous critically acclaimed television productions, Bonny has remained true to his signature style. Most recently, he received the Grimme Award in the Best Fiction 2021 category for “Wir wären andere Menschen,” also starring Matthias Brandt. His work on BMWs nextgen Series with Christoph Waltz brought ADC and Montreux Gold in 2021.
In repeated collaborations with artist Alex Wissel, he has created experimental works at the intersection of visual arts, theater and film, including titles such as “Single” (2014) and “Rheingold” (2018, in co-production with Volksbühne Berlin), that were screend at mumok Vienna, Kunstsammlung NRW, Kestnergesellschaft, Julia Stoschek Collection among others. Most recently, in 2021, he staged “Philoktet” by Heiner Müller at Theater Basel.
2022 sees co-written “Muss ja nicht sein, dass es heute ist“ premiere at Oberhausens German Competition and the release of Netflix Series “King of Stonks”, in which he holds directing and EP credits.

Awards
- Bernd Burgemeister Fernsehpreis (Filmfest München 2022, as producer) – King of Stonks
- Hon. Mention Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen (Deutscher Wettbewerb 2022, as co writer) – Muss ja nicht sein, dass es heute ist
- ADC (Gold and Silver 2021) – Nextgen Series (BMW)
- Cresta Award (Silver and Bronze for Outstanding Direction 2021) – Nextgen Series (BMW)
- Golden Award of Montreux (2021) – Nextgen Series (BMW)
- Grimme Preis (2021) – Wir wären andere Menschen
- Nom. for Cinematic Art Award (Festival des Deutschen Films 2020) – Wir wären andere Menschen
- Best Picture, Best Ensemble, Best Cinematography (Preis der Deutschen Filmkritik 2019) – Wintermärchen
- Nom. for Best Script and Best Editing (Preis der Deutschen Filmkritik 2019) – Wintermärchen
- Nom. for Golden Leopard (Locarno Film Festival – Concorso Internazionale 2019) – Wintermärchen
- Best Picture (Filmpreis des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen 2019) – Wintermärchen
- Nom. for Best Picture (São Paulo International Film Festival 2019) – Wintermärchen
- Nom. for Best Medium-Lenght Picture (Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis 2018, as co-writer) – Es ist egal, aber
- Best Medium-Length Picture (Achtung Berlin 2018, as co-writer) – Es ist egal, aber
- Best Medium-Lenght Picture (Wendland Shorts 2018, as co-writer) – Es ist egal, aber
- Nom. for Grimme Preis (2017) – Borowski und das Fest des Nordens
- Special Award (FernsehfilmFestival Baden-Baden 2017) – Über Barbarossaplatz
- Nom. Best Music Video (Vienna Shorts VIS 2016) – Boogieman
- Best Music Video (Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen 2016) – Boogieman
- iF Design Awards (2015) – Renault
- Jürgen Roland Preis (Studio Hamburg Preis 2014) – Der Tod macht Engel aus uns allen
- Nom. for Grimme Preis (2014) – Der Tod macht Engel aus uns allen
- ADC (Shortlist 2013) – All in (Adidas)
- Best Production (Kurz & Schön 2012) – Eva Gronbach
- GFF Bronze (German Fashion Film Award 2012) – Eva Gronbach
- Nom. for Best Medium-Length Picture (First Steps Award 2009, as co-writer) – Wannabe
- Nom. for European Discovery (Europäischer Filmpreis 2009) – Gegenüber
- Nom. for Camera d’Or (Festival de Cannes 2007) – Gegenüber
- Hon. Mention (Festival de Cannes Quinzaine 2007) – Gegenüber
- Förderpreis Deutscher Film (Filmfest München 2007) – Gegenüber
- Hon. Mention (FICCO Filmfest Mexico City 2007) – Gegenüber
- Nom for Best Picture (First Steps Award 2007) – Gegenüber
- Goldener Löwe (Preis der Stadt Hachenburg 2007) – Gegenüber
- Nom. for Beste Regie (Bunte New Faces Award 2007) – Gegenüber
- Nom for Best Script (Prix Europe 2007) – Gegenüber
- Deutscher Wirtschaftsfilmpreis in Bronze (2004) – Blaupunkt
- Nom for Best Commercial (First Steps Award 2003) – Jägermeister Hirsch
Links
- Website Jan Bonny
janbonny.de - Press
Süddeutsche, Wir wären andere Menschen
SPIEGEL, Wir wären andere Menschen
Der Freitag, Portrait
NZZ, Ich hab im Traum geweinet
CRITIC, Ich hab im Traum geweinet
SPIEGEL, Interview zu Wintermärchen
TAZ, Wintermärchen
NAZIS UND GOLDMUND, Wintermärchen
FAZ, Ueber Barbarossaplatz
Sueddeutsche, Ueber Barbarossaplatz
Frankfurter Rundschau, Ueber Barbarossaplatz
FAZ, Tatort
Sueddeutsche, Tatort
WELT, Portrait
Frieze, Rheingold
KubaParis, Rheingold
Le Monde, Gegenueber
Shots
The Drum
- Festivals & Screenings
- Festival de Cannes
- Locarno Concorso Internazionale
- Berlinale
- Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen
- Filmfest München
- IFF Busan
- IFF Sevilla
- São Paulo International Film Festival
- Jeonju International Film Festival
- International Film Festival Hong Kong
- Montreal IFF
- Copenhagen PIX
- Göteborg Film Festival
- Torino Film Festival
- FICCO Mexico City
- L’Étrange Festival Paris
- Moscau Int. Filmfestival
- Internationales Filmfest Mannheim-Heidelberg
- Filmfestival Max Ophüls Preis
- Achtung Berlin
- Vienna Shorts
- Internationale Hofer Filmtage
- Crossing Europe Linz
- mumok Wien
- Haus der Kunst München
- Museum Abteiberg Mönchengladbach
- Kestnergesellschaft Hannover
- Superdeals Brussels
- Julia Stoschek Collection
- Kölnischer Kunstverein
- Kunstsammlung NRW
- Volksbühne Berlin
- Theater Basel
- Basis Frankfurt
- Kunstverein Hannover
- NAK Aachen
- Dortmunder Kunstverein
- ACUD Berlin