Schlöndorff is a German director, screenwriter and producer. He graduated in political science from the Sorbonne and at the same time studied film at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinematographiques. He honed his craft as assistant director to Louis Malle, Alain Resnais and Jean-Pierre Melville. In early 1960’s he directed several projects for the French television and then returned to Germany and joined the movement of the New German film. He won awards for his first feature film Der junge Törless (1966) – the FIPRESCI award in Cannes and awards for best director, screenplay and feature film at the German Film Awards in 1966. He is famous for adapting literary themes (Günther Grass, Heinrich Böll, Arthur Miller, Marcel Proust). In 1969, together with Peter Fleischmann he started the production company Hallelujah Film that from 1974 produced his films. In 1970, he directed the TV film Baal (1970) starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Margarethe von Trotta, actress and future screenwriter and director who also became his wife and collaborator, appeared in this film as well. Together they adapted and directed the crime drama Lost Honor of Katherina Blum (Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum, 1975). Schlöndorff then directed the war drama Der Fangschuß (1976), and achieved his biggest success with the The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel, 1979), adaptation of Günter Grass’ novelthat won many film awards. After the war drama Die Fälschung (1981), he directed several films with international actors such as Un amour de Swann (1984), The Handmaid's Tale (1990), Homo Faber (1991), Der Unhold (1996) and Palmetto (1998). He successfully directed the TV adaptation of the play Death of a Salesman (1985), starring Dustin Hoffman and John Malkovich. Some of his last films include the romantic drama Die Stille nach dem Schuß (2000), war dramas Der neunte Tag (2000) and Calm at Sea (La mer à l'aube, 2011) and the historical drama Diplomacy (Diplomatie, 2014).