German theatre and film director, screenwriter, and theatre designer.
Born in 1967 in Munich. He trained at the "Munich Kammerspiele" (Munich Chamber Theatre) as a production designer and costume designer. He began his professional career as an assistant to directors Jürgen Rose and Ezio Toffolutti. Until 1996, he worked in German theatres as a set and costume designer.
In 1997, he made his debut as a film director by shooting the music video for the song "Du Hast" by the band Rammstein, after which he became a sought-after director in the music industry. He is the creator of videos for songs such as "Bring Me to Life," "Going Under," and "Everybody's Fool" by the band Evanescence, "Stripped" by Rammstein, "American Pie" by Madonna, and "The World Is Not Enough" by the band Garbage for the James Bond film "The World Is Not Enough." Since 2000, he has also worked in advertising; he has directed commercials for brands such as Rolex, Nokia, BMW, and Sony.
The director's first full-length feature film was the drama "Baby" (2002). In 2008, he directed his second feature film, "North Face" ("Nordwand"), about a climbers' ascent of the Eiger mountain in the Alps. The film received high praise from critics and several awards. In 2010, Stölzl's third feature film, "Goethe!", was released in German cinemas. In 2013, he directed the film "The Physician" ("Der Medicus") based on the novel by American author Noah Gordon, the three-part television film "Winnetou – A Living Myth" ("Winnetou – Der Mythos lebt", 2015) based on the books by Karl May, and in 2025, "The Physician 2" ("Der Medicus 2") was released.
The director also works in music and drama theatre. In 2005, his production of the opera "Der Freischütz" premiered at the Meiningen State Theatre. In 2007, Stölzl staged Hector Berlioz's opera "Benvenuto Cellini" at the Salzburg Festival; in 2010, his production of the operetta "Die Fledermaus" was staged at the Stuttgart State Opera. In 2014, Stölzl directed his first play, "Frankenstein," based on the novel of the same name by Mary Shelley, at the Theatre Basel. His production of the opera "Rigoletto" at the Bregenz Festival in 2019 attracted great attention and was broadcast live.
Born in 1967 in Munich. He trained at the "Munich Kammerspiele" (Munich Chamber Theatre) as a production designer and costume designer. He began his professional career as an assistant to directors Jürgen Rose and Ezio Toffolutti. Until 1996, he worked in German theatres as a set and costume designer.
In 1997, he made his debut as a film director by shooting the music video for the song "Du Hast" by the band Rammstein, after which he became a sought-after director in the music industry. He is the creator of videos for songs such as "Bring Me to Life," "Going Under," and "Everybody's Fool" by the band Evanescence, "Stripped" by Rammstein, "American Pie" by Madonna, and "The World Is Not Enough" by the band Garbage for the James Bond film "The World Is Not Enough." Since 2000, he has also worked in advertising; he has directed commercials for brands such as Rolex, Nokia, BMW, and Sony.
The director's first full-length feature film was the drama "Baby" (2002). In 2008, he directed his second feature film, "North Face" ("Nordwand"), about a climbers' ascent of the Eiger mountain in the Alps. The film received high praise from critics and several awards. In 2010, Stölzl's third feature film, "Goethe!", was released in German cinemas. In 2013, he directed the film "The Physician" ("Der Medicus") based on the novel by American author Noah Gordon, the three-part television film "Winnetou – A Living Myth" ("Winnetou – Der Mythos lebt", 2015) based on the books by Karl May, and in 2025, "The Physician 2" ("Der Medicus 2") was released.
The director also works in music and drama theatre. In 2005, his production of the opera "Der Freischütz" premiered at the Meiningen State Theatre. In 2007, Stölzl staged Hector Berlioz's opera "Benvenuto Cellini" at the Salzburg Festival; in 2010, his production of the operetta "Die Fledermaus" was staged at the Stuttgart State Opera. In 2014, Stölzl directed his first play, "Frankenstein," based on the novel of the same name by Mary Shelley, at the Theatre Basel. His production of the opera "Rigoletto" at the Bregenz Festival in 2019 attracted great attention and was broadcast live.
