Michael Koch

Michael Koch (born 2 July 1982 in Lucerne) is a Swiss film director and screenwriter.

At the age of 17 Koch made his acting debut at the Young Theater of Basel (Junges Theater Basel), where he appeared in further productions until 2002.

In 2003 he played the lead role in the Swiss comedy Achtung, fertig, Charlie!.

In 2005, his short documentary film We Are the Faithful about the chief supporter in the FC Basel fan curve was released.

The following short feature film Beckenrand from 2006, about a tragic confrontation between a youth clique and a lifeguard, was also nominated for the German Short Film Award in Gold in 2007.

In the same year, Koch began studying at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne, while at the same time working occasionally as an actor for television films until 2007.

As a director, Koch made several short films during his studies, which were shown at many German and foreign film festivals and received numerous awards.

For his diploma film Polar, Koch received a Special Mention at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival in 2009 and the German Short Film Award in Gold.

He went on to direct two theater plays in Switzerland, which were performed in Basel in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

In 2016 Koch's feature-length film debut Marija was released, for which he wrote the screenplay together with Julian Großheim.

In the same year, the film premiered in the international competition of the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.

Marija screened at many German and foreign film festivals, won national and international awards, and was released in German cinemas on 9 March 2017.

Koch's second feature film A Piece of Sky (Drii Winter) was screened in the international competition at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival in 2022 and received a Special Mention.

Furthermore, he works as a docent at the International Film School Cologne.