Torsten Körner is a German film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his work on films such as The Lives of Others (2006), The White Ribbon (2009) and A Most Wanted Man (2014).
Körner was born in 1964 in Frankfurt, Germany. He studied film and television at the University of Television and Film Munich. In 1984, he began his career as an assistant director for several German television shows.
Körner's first feature film, Es ist ein Elch entsprungen (1989), earned him a nomination for Best Director at the 1990 German Film Awards.
In 2006, Körner directed the critically-acclaimed film The Lives of Others, which tells the story of an East German secret police agent who monitors the lives of a playwright and his girlfriend. The film won numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Körner's next film, The White Ribbon (2009), was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is set in a small German village before World War I and explores themes of power and corruption.
Körner's most recent film, A Most Wanted Man (2014), is an adaptation of John le Carré's novel of the same name. The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel McAdams and tells the story of a mysterious fugitive who is sought by both German and US intelligence agents.
Körner is currently in pre-production for his next film, Good Bye Lenin!, which is an adaptation of Wolfgang Becker's 2003 film of the same name. Körner is also developing a television series with German production company UFA Fiction.
Körner's films have been praised for their thoughtful exploration of complex moral and political issues. He has earned numerous awards for his work, including two German Film Awards, two Bavarian Film Awards, and one Academy Award.
