Baran bo Odar (born 18 April 1978) is a German film and television director and screenwriter. He is known for co-creating the Netflix series ''
Dark
Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown.
Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low lu ...
'' (2017–2020) and '' 1899'' (2022) with his creative and romantic partner,
Jantje Friese
Jantje Friese (born 1977) is a German film producer and screenwriter known for co-creating the Netflix series ''Dark'' (2017–2020) and ''1899'' (2022) with her creative and romantic partner Baran bo Odar.
Work
Jantje Friese studied productio ...
.
His film ''
Who Am I Who Am I? or Who Am I may refer to:
Film
* ''Who Am I?'' (1921 film). a silent drama directed by Henry Kolker
* ''Who Am I?'' (1998 film), a Hong Kong film starring Jackie Chan
* ''Who Am I?'' (2009 film), a Cambodian film
* ''Who Am I'' (2 ...
'' reached the top of the German cinema charts and was nominated for a
German Film Award
The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the German film industry. Besides being the most important ...
for Best Fiction Feature Film and Best Screenplay in 2015. Odar directed and co-wrote the film with Friese.
Early life
Odar was born in Switzerland. He is of Turkish descent on his mother's side and has Russian ancestry from his paternal grandfather, a former doctor who fled Russia after the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...
.
Career
Odar's first feature film, produced as a final project for his
University of Television and Film Munich
The University of Television and Film Munich (German: Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München, short: HFF Munich) is a publicly funded film school in Munich, Germany. The school was established in 1966 by decree of the Bavarian government. T ...
diploma, was ''Under the Sun'' (German: ), a sixty-minute coming-of-age story about a twelve-year-old boy who is infatuated with his older niece. It was screened at the
Montreal World Film Festival
The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF; french: le Festival des Films du Monde) was one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF (although the Toronto Internat ...
in 2006 and Utah's Slamdance in 2007. For the film, Odar was awarded the Studio Hamburg Newcomer Award and the Munich Feature Film Award and was nominated for the Max Ophüls Prize.
Directing a Hollywood production had been a longtime dream of Odar's. Following the success in Germany of ''The Silence'' and ''Who Am I'', Odar attracted the attention of American producers who were searching for a director for '' Sleepless'', an action thriller to which
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film '' Ray'', for which he won the ...
was already attached. After Odar came on board,
Michelle Monaghan
Michelle Lynn Monaghan ( ; born March 23, 1976) is an American actress, best known for her starring roles in ''Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'' (2005), ''Gone Baby Gone'' (2007), ''Made of Honor'' (2008), ''Eagle Eye'' (2008), ''Trucker'' (2008), ''Source ...
was cast as Foxx's co-star, and the film was shot in Atlanta.
The TV series ''
Dark
Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown.
Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low lu ...
'', which Odar co-created with Friese, gained popularity worldwide and was
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
's first German-language original series. Every episode was co-written by Friese and directed by Odar. Odar was honored with a
Grimme-Preis
The Grimme-Preis ("Grimme Award"; prior to 2011: Adolf-Grimme-Preis) is one of the most prestigious German television awards. It is named after the first general director of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Adolf Grimme.1899''. The first two episodes premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...
in September 2022. The full season came out on 17 November 2022 on Netflix. The creators had ideas for two more seasons, but in January 2023, Netflix canceled the show.