Biography

Werner Schumann is a London- and Berlin-based film and theatre director, development executive, writer, and comedian with a rich artistic heritage. Of Jewish-Italian, German, and Appalachian American descent with English roots, he is a descendant of the famed composer Robert Schumann. This legacy of creativity fuels his work as he directs, produces, writes, and performs. Schumann honed his craft through studies in photography, screenwriting, editing, theatre, and film production. He began his career in Brazil, directing experimental short films, performing comedic sketches, taking on leading roles in films and TV series, and co-founding a puppet theatre group with his brother while also directing classic plays such as Antigone by Sophocles. He wrote, directed, and produced the short film Pioneers of Cinema (1995), which won the Golden Tatu for Best Fiction at the XXI International Bahia Film Festival. Schumann also wrote, directed, and produced the feature films Sun in the Mist (2007, Prime Video), which won the TVE Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival; O Coro (2010, Prime Video), which premiered at the prestigious Mar Del Plata Film Festival and won Best Director at the 21st Ibero-American Cine Ceará Film Festival in Brazil; and Absolution - A Hitman Story (2015), which he directed and co-produced. Absolution was distributed internationally on platforms including Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home, as well as on DVD and Blu-ray. In 2022, he wrote, directed, and produced The Year of the Soul (Prime Video), a drama-comedy centered on a group of American expatriate friends living in Berlin, adapted from his own play. In 2024, he directed the international drama-thriller The Widow's Moon, co-produced with the USA. Schumann is a member of Directors UK, the professional association for British film and television directors, and served as a founding board member of the Directors Charitable Foundation in London, established in 2016 by members of Directors UK, Stage Directors UK, and the Directors Guild Trust. He has also attended the Cannes Producers Network.
- IMDb mini biography by: Werner Schumann