Rick Minnich is an award-winning American documentary filmmaker and educator based in Berlin. Born in Pomona, California, and raised across Kansas, Arizona, and California, he came of age during the final years of the Cold War. After living on both sides of the Iron Curtain, he moved to Berlin shortly after the fall of the Wall, where he has lived ever since.
He studied English literature at Columbia University and later completed his film studies at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf in Germany. Since the early 1990s, Minnich has written, directed, and produced a wide range of documentaries through his production company Rickfilms, often in collaboration with European and American broadcasters.
His work is driven by a deep curiosity about what motivates and connects people around the world. From exploring the fate of Lenin statues in post-Soviet Europe to evangelical entertainers in the American Midwest, and from modern-day hillbilly musicians to the mysteries of amnesia, Minnich approaches each subject with empathy, intelligence, and humour. Among his most acclaimed films are *The Book of Lenins* (1996), *Heaven on Earth* (2001), *Homemade Hillbilly Jam* (2005), *Forgetting Dad* (2008), *The Bomb Hunters* (2015), and *The Strait Guys* (2022).
Minnich’s films have screened at major international festivals, including IDFA, Hot Docs, and Full Frame, earning numerous awards such as the Special Jury Award at IDFA for *Forgetting Dad*. His storytelling is marked by a balance of journalistic precision and emotional depth, creating films that are both thought-provoking and accessible.
Beyond filmmaking, Minnich teaches and mentors emerging storytellers and serves as an arts envoy with Create2030, an artist-led organisation supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Through his work, he continues to build bridges between cultures and generations, guided by a belief in the power of cinema to foster understanding and connection.
