Zita Erffa is a German-born film director, producer and screenwriter. She is best known for her award-winning documentaries, particularly her feature length films “The Dream of Shahrazad” (2014) and “The Waldheim Waltz” (2018).
Erffa was born in Berlin, Germany in 1974. She studied film at the University of Television and Film Munich from 1994 to 1999, and afterwards pursued a Masters degree in Art History at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich.
In 2001, Erffa founded her own production company, Erffa Filmproduktion, and began producing and directing documentaries. Her first feature length documentary, “The Dream of Shahrazad” (2014), was about the history of women in the Middle East. It premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and won the German Film Award for best documentary.
Her next documentary, “The Waldheim Waltz” (2018), focused on former UN Secretary General and Austrian President Kurt Waldheim, and his alleged Nazi past. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Erffa's other works include the documentaries “The Little Dictator” (2016), about the life of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and “The Trip to Spain” (2017), about a family vacation in Spain. She has also directed several short films and television documentaries.
Erffa is currently working on a new documentary about the migration crisis in Europe. She is also a professor at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, where she teaches courses in filmmaking and film history.
In addition to her work as a director and producer, Erffa is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the European Film Academy. She is a passionate advocate for female filmmakers and has been a part of the Cannes Film Festival's Women in Motion program since 2015.
Zita Erffa is a multi-award winning director, producer and screenwriter whose work has been shown around the world. Her films have been praised for their insight into the lives of their subjects and for their ability to bring difficult and complex topics to life. She is an inspiration to aspiring filmmakers and a role model for female directors.
