GERMAN ENGAGEMENT PRIZE 2021 NOMINEE

WINNER OF THE STUDIENSTIFTUNG DES DEUTSCHEN VOLKES STARTER PRIZE

WINNER OF THE STARTSOCIAL SCHOLARSHIP (WITH CONNECTED DIFFERENCES E.V.)

JURY-AWARD-WINNER OF THE LEGACY STUDYFILM COMPETITION

SPEAKER AT THE Z2X PROGRAM FOR YOUNG VISIONARIES

SCHOLARSHIP HOLDER OF STUDIENSTIFTUNG DES DEUTSCHEN VOLKES

FORMER SELECTED STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE OF HFF MUNICH

FORMER WOMEN'S REPRESENTATIVE OFFICE'S SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER AND RESEARCHER (HFF MUNICH, 5 YEARS)

MERLE GRIMME

STUDIES AT THE RENOWNED UNIVERSITY OF TELEVISION AND FILM (HFF MUNICH) AND GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF HILDESEHEIM.

AS A LIFELONG LEARNER, MERLE GRIMME ATTENDED VARIOUS WRITING LABS WITH INDUSTRY GREATS, INCLUDING ROBIN SWICORD (WOMEN'S WRITING LAB; DRAMA), TAÇ ROMEY (DRAMA SERIES), ROBERT KRAUSE AND FLORIAN PUCHERT (REWRITE LAB; DRAMA). SCREENWRITER, DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER ROBIN SWICORD SUPPORTS MERLE GRIMME AS A MENTOR.

HER DIRECTORIAL WORK INCLUDES 'REGRETTING MOTHERHOOD', WHICH WAS INVITED TO SEVERAL NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS AND DISCUSSION PANELS, AND HER SOCIAL SPOT 'DER DEUTSCHE KINDERWUNSCH' (THE GERMAN DESIRE OF HAVING CHILDREN) WON THE JURY AWARD OF THE LEGACY STUDY FILM COMPETITION. 

THIS SPOT WAS MADE IN COOPERATION WITH THE GERMAN FILM ACADEMY AND SPONSORED BY THE FEDERAL FOREIGN OFFICE OF GERMANY, AND REACHED OVER 500.000 VIEWS ON SEVERAL PLATFORMS, SPARKING AN ONGOING PUBLIC MEDIA DISCOURSE.

IT WAS ALSO 'BEST OF 2017' ON ZEIT ONLINE.

GRIMME SITS ON THE BOARD OF CONNECTED DIFFERENCES E.V., A REGISTERED ASSOCIATION BORNE OUT OF HER VIRAL OPEN LETTER WHICH MADE THE ROUNDS DURING BERLINALE 2020. HER LETTER HIGHLIGHTED THE LACK OF INTERSECTIONALITY IN NETWORKS AND SPECIFIC FUNDINGS IN FILM, THEATRE, ARTS AND MEDIA FOR EXCLUDED/UNDERREPRESENTED ARTISTS ANS CULTURAL WORKERS, AND RECEIVED OVER 80 RESPRONSES OF INTEREST. THE NAME 'CONNECTED DIFFERENCES' WAS INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF AUDRE LORDE.

THE GERMAN FILM ACADEMY INVITED GRIMME AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF CONNECTED DIFFERENCES TO ADVISE ON INTERSECTIONALITY AND ANTI-DISCRIMINATION TOPICS.

CURRENTLY, GRIMME IS DEVELOPING HER GRADUATION FILM AND MINI SERIES (LIMITED) CLASHING DIFFERENCES AS A WRITER, DRIECTOR AND PRODUCER WITH A LITTLE. FILMPRODUCTION AND SPERL FILM UND FERNSEHPRODUKTION, IN CO-PRODUCTION WITH HFF MUNICH, ZDF - DAS KLEINE FERNSEHSPIEL AND ARTE. THE PROJECTS ARE FUNDED BY FFFBAYERN AND MEDIENBOARD.

FOR THIS FILM/SERIES ESPECIALLY, SHE DEVELOPED AN ANTI-DISCRIMINATORY AND INCLUSIVE PRODUCTION CONCEPT TO OVERCOME INEQUITABLE STRUCTURES IN THE FILM INDUSTRY.

MERLE GRIMME IS BASED IN BERLIN.