Katrin Laur

Katrin Laur is a Professor of Scriptwriting and Dramaturgy at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne (KHM), where she has taught since 2011. An Estonian-German director and screenwriter, she studied directing at the Moscow Film Academy (VGIK) under Sergei Gerassimov from 1977 to 1982, after which she emigrated to Germany. She later studied German literature at Ludwig Maximilian University and completed scriptwriting courses with Linda Seger in 1995-96.

• Education:
  • Moscow Film Academy (VGIK), Masterclass in Directing (1977-1982)
  • Ludwig Maximilian University, German Literature
  • Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Script Consultant Course (1995-1996)

Katrin Laur's research and creative work spans documentary and feature films, screenwriting, and literary fiction. Her films, such as Roots: Hundred Years of War and Music (2011) and Graveyard Keeper's Daughter (2011), blend historical narratives with personal storytelling. She founded a production company in Estonia in 2004 and has contributed to Estonian-German cultural projects.

Her literary work includes a 1995 poetry collection Sõnad ("Words") and the 2017 novel Heavenly Rome, adapted from her 2013 screenplay. She has lectured at the Baltic Film and Media School in Tallinn (2008-2011) and continues to mentor emerging filmmakers at KHM.