Rosa Friedrich, born in 1989 in East Berlin, studied under Michael Haneke and Jessica Hausner at the Vienna Film Academy, where she developed a playful, vibrant and emotional approach to cinematic storytelling. Before dedicating herself entirely to film, she studied philosophy, psychology, and film studies at the Freie Universität Berlin and led various dance and theatre groups. Friedrich’s graduation film TOPFPALMEN (2020) was screened at, among others, Karlovy Vary and Nouveau Cinéma Montréal, and was nominated for the First Steps Award. In 2021, she was selected for Berlinale Talents. Her experimental no-budget film WANDER was invited to the Max Ophüls Festival in 2023. Currently she is working on her debut feature WHO IS AFRAID OF GOD, developed at the Torino Script Lab. MY FRIEND THE PORN STAR is her documentary debut. She lives and works in Vienna.
