Niko von Glasow (''né'' Brücher; born 1960) is a German film director and producer. The founder and Artistic Director of

Palladio Film Andrea Palladio ( ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius, is widely considered to be one of th ...

, von Glasow began his training with

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement. Fassbinder's main ...

and then worked for many film directors including Georg Stefan Troller, Hellmuth Costard,

Alexander Kluge Alexander Kluge (born 14 February 1932) is a German author, philosopher, academic and film director. Early life, education and early career Kluge was born in Halberstadt, Province of Saxony (now Saxony-Anhalt), Germany. After growing up durin ...

Peter Zadek Peter Zadek (; 19 May 1926 – 30 July 2009) was a German director of theatre, opera and film, a translator and a screenwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest directors in German-speaking theater. Biography Peter Zadek was born on 19 May ...

and Jean-Jacques Annaud before going on to study film at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

and at the National Film School in Łódź, Poland. In 2008 he produced and directed the feature documentary " NoBody's Perfect". "NoBody's Perfect" follows Niko von Glasow as he looks for eleven people who, like him, were born disabled due to the disastrous side-effects of

Thalidomide Thalidomide, sold under the brand names Contergan and Thalomid among others, is a medication used to treat a number of cancers (including multiple myeloma), graft-versus-host disease, and a number of skin conditions including complications o ...

, and who are prepared to pose nude for a calendar of photos. The film won the German Film Award for Best Documentary at the Deutscher Filmpreis in 2009 and received worldwide acclaim. Through the film's worldwide success, Niko met with various politicians and journalists. An effective campaign resulted in the German government's decision to raise monthly compensation (which will amount to over €2.7 billion over the next 30 years) for the 2,700 surviving victims of Thalidomide in Germany. In 2014 he bought Villa Pozzolo in Tuscany and turned it into a cultural centre. In the summer, he rents Villa Pozzolo out to support his foundation, the nikovonglasow.org foundation. The foundation helps more than 1000 children and adults with a disability to get surgery, education and food. The foundation is organising the surgery for 400 disabled children in North Vietnam. He is working as life, financial, & story coach. The fee for his work as a coach also goes straight to the foundation.

Career

Following his studies at the National Film School in Łódź, Poland, von Glasow made his first feature film, "Wedding Guests", which won the German Critics Prize at the Berlin Film Festival. His other projects include "Maries's Song" starring

Sylvie Testud Sylvie Testud (born 17 January 1971) is a French actress hose film career est Actress for '' Fear and Trembling'' (2003), and the European Film Award for Best Actress for '' Lourdes'' (2009). Her other film roles include '' Beyond Silence'' ( ...

(which won three German Film Awards), "Edelweiss Pirates" which starred Bela B.,

Jan Decleir Jan Decleir (born as ''Jan Amanda Gustaaf Decleir'' on 14 February 1946) is a prolific Belgian movie and stage actor born in Niel, Antwerp. Career He had his first big role in Fons Rademakers's ''Mira'' (1971). Since then, he has appeared in ...

and

Anna Thalbach Anna Maria Joachim genannt Thalbach (born 1 June 1973), known as Anna Maria Thalbach, is a German actress. Her mother, Katharina Thalbach Katharina Thalbach (; actually ''Katharina Joachim genannt Thalbach''; born 19 January 1954) is a Germa ...

, and

Winter Sleepers ''Winter Sleepers'' (german: Winterschläfer meaning "hibernators") is a 1997 German film directed by Tom Tykwer. It was premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival. Plot The film is set in the deeply snowy alpine winter resort of Berc ...

which

Tom Tykwer Tom Tykwer (; born 23 May 1965) is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, and composer. He is best known internationally for directing the thriller films '' Run Lola Run'' (1998), '' Heaven'' (2002), '' Perfume: The Story of a Murderer ...

directed and von Glasow co-produced. In 2008, Niko convinced 11 other victims of Thalidomide to strip naked for a calendar photoshoot. NoBody's Perfect, the documentary about the making of this calendar, won the German Film Award and resulted in a powerful campaign for the victims of Thalidomide. His next film, "Everything Will Be Alright", documents the making of a unique live theatre production, which von Glasow wrote and developed. The film goes behind the scenes of the play and features a wonderful cast of physically and mentally disabled actors. Von Glasow's latest film, "Shoot Me. Kiss Me. Cut!" depicts twelve young filmmakers trying to achieve fame and fortune with their version of Romeo and Juliet. Niko von Glasow is a member of BAFTA as well as the

European Film Academy The European Film Academy is an initiative of a group of European filmmakers who came together in Berlin on the occasion of the first presentation of the European Film Awards in November 1988. The Academy—under the name of European Cinema Soc ...

and the German Film Academy. Niko von Glasow is a motivational speaker all over the world. He holds workshops in Script Writing and Directing internationally. Von Glasow also runs a charity for girls' education and the arts working chiefly in East Asia.

Personal life

Von Glasow is the son of Majella Neven DuMont and Ernst Brücher, the founder of the M. DuMont Schauberg Publishing house in Cologne. He currently lives in Italy.

Selected filmography

* In Development: ''Girl From Tibet'' * 2015: ''Shoot Me. Kiss Me. Cut!'' * 2013: ''

My Way to Olympia ''My Way to Olympia'' is a 2013 feature documentary produced and directed by Niko von Glasow, which follows disabled athletes preparing to compete at the London 2012 Paralympics. The film focuses on Matt Stutzman, an armless American archer; Nor ...

''Film sheet of Berlinale 2013 film festival
(engl.) * 2008: ''Everything Will Be Alright'' * 2008: '' NoBody's Perfect '' * 2008: ''Look At Me'' * 2004: ''

Edelweiss Pirates The Edelweiss Pirates (german: Edelweißpiraten ) were a loosely organized group of youths opposed to the status quo of Nazi Germany. They emerged in western Germany out of the German Youth Movement of the late 1930s in response to the strict reg ...

'' * 2004: ''Elke Heidenreich'', a documentary about

Elke Heidenreich Elke Heidenreich (née Riegert; born 15 February 1943) is a German author, TV presenter, literary critic and journalist. She has written audio plays, a magazine column, scripts for television plays and books. Heidenreich is known as the ''Kabarett ...

* 1997: ''Wintersleeper'' * 1994: ''Marie's Song'' * 1991: ''Wedding Guests''

References

External links

*
BiographyNiko von Glasow official blogPalladio Film official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glasow, Niko von 1960 births Living people Film people from Cologne People with phocomelia German documentary filmmakers German people with disabilities