Irene Langemann

born in 1959 in Isilkul near Omsk, USSR, Irene Langemann is a documentary filmmaker and author. At the age of 17, she moved to Moscow to study acting and German studies. She then worked as a writer, actress, and presenter. In 1990, Langemann emigrated to Germany and initially worked as an editor for Deutsche Welle TV in Cologne before beginning her career as a freelance writer and director for film and television in 1996. In her documentary work, she sees herself as a »border crosser between cultures and languages,« seeking a »creative dialogue with the people in front of the camera« in order to »tell stories that open up poetic spaces and offer a new perspective on reality.« Langemann’s films have received numerous international awards, including the Golden Gate Award in San Francisco (2001) and the Audience Jury Prize at the Viennale (2007). Her ARD documentary »Belarus – Der kurze Traum von Freiheit« [engl. »Belarus – The Brief Dream of Freedom«] was nominated for the German Human Rights Film Award in 2022. In 2023, she published her debut novel »Das Gedächtnis der Töchter« [engl. »The Daughters’ Memory«], a multigenerational story about six generations of German immigrants in Russia, for which she was awarded the Russian-German Cultural Prize of the State of Baden-Württemberg in 2024. She also works as a mentor for media projects of the Council of Europe and regularly teaches for the Deutsche Welle Academy. Irene Langemann lives in Cologne.

Last Update: 2025

Das Gedächtnis der Töchter

Friedenauer Presse
Berlin, 2023