Christoph Silber

Christoph Silber

Christoph Silber (often referred to as Chris Silber) is a German English film producer, screenwriter and director based in the United States. Rated among "Europe's hottest new screenwriters" by Screen International, he frequently collaborates on projects in the United States.

Early life

Raised in Germany, Silber studied English and French history and literature in Berlin and London. His mother is a philosopher and literary translator, his father is a Shakespeare scholar and dramaturge raised in England.

Career

Silber worked as an actor, translator and journalist prior to his professional writing career. He translated books on film and screenplays for German book publishers, including Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. The book became a bestseller and led to Silber's first assignment as a playwright. In 1995 the acclaimed Vienna Burgtheater asked him to adapt Puccini's Tosca for a stage production. This led to further theater work and connections in the European film business.

Silber's screenwriting career began in the mid 90's with contributions to German television shows. A genre traveller, Silber worked as a head writer of sitcoms as well as crime series. Silber has collaborated on numerous films, including the award-winning North Face[1] and Arranged. In recent years, he established himself on the family market with his feature film scripts for the highly successful Enid Blyton-based Hanni & Nanni franchise.

In 2007, Silber founded the production company Silver Shepherd with writing and producing partner Stefan Schaefer in New York. For their 2011 film My Last Day Without You[2] starring Nicole Beharie and Ken Duken, the two also wrote the song lyrics collaborating with composer and producer Scott Jacoby. Based in Los Angeles since 2012, Silber continues to collaborate with Schaefer.

From the early days of his career, Silber has been good friends with Academy Award winning filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff. He has collaborated with Academy Award nominee Peter Straughan and Italian American screen legend Terence Hill.

Teamed with Berlin associate Thorsten Wettcke, Silber has written critically acclaimed episodes for Germany's legendary feature-length crime series Tatort. In 2008 the duo's new concept for the Hamburg Tatort was called "a triumph for German quality television" by Der Spiegel. In 2009 they received the Grimme Award, the highest honor in German TV, and in 2012 Austria's top film and TV laurel, the Romy Award. In 2013 their film A Day For A Miracle won the International Emmy in the Best TV movie or miniseries category. Silber and Wettcke continue to collaborate on German-language feature films and TV series.

In 2011 the Vilcek Foundation honored Silber as "an immigrant filmmaker...whose creative spirit enlivens and inspires American cinema."[3]

Personal life

Silber married Joleita Reed, whom he had met in New York, in 2000 and had two children with her. The story of their chance encounter inspired his film My Last Day Without You. He lost her to cancer in 2013.[4] This experience, and his desire to encourage others experiencing similar journeys, inspired Silber to his screenplay The Year Thirteen, which he is currently working on.

In 2014, Christoph Silber began dating Misee Harris.[5] The couple announced their engagement in January 2015.

Filmography

Theatrical

Television

Awards and nominations

Wins

Nominations

References

  1. ↑ Holden, Stephen (2010-01-29). "New York Times North Face Review". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  2. ↑ "Screen Daily My Last Day Without You announcement".
  3. ↑ "Fate Or Just Love". Retrieved 2012.
  4. ↑ "Beyond Black & White My Last Day Without You Creator loses wife".
  5. ↑ "How Yours Truly Played Cupid with New Power Couple, Film Maker Chris Silber and Dr. Misee Harris". Retrieved 3 January 2015.

External links