Dennis Gansel

Dennis Gansel was born in Hannover in 1973. As a schoolboy he made his own short films. From 1994 to 2000 he studied directing at the Munich University for Television and Film. During his studies he also got to know his future producer Christian Becker, with whom he worked on the films DIE WELLE (THE WAVE) and JIM KNOPF (JIM BUTTON AND LUKE THE ENGINE DRIVER selected in Giffoni 2019), among others. After several German films, he made his Hollywood debut in 2015 with MECHANIC: RESURRECTION. With the Jim Knopf (Jim Button) film adaptations, he fulfilled a long-cherished childhood dream. Dennis Gansel lives with his family in Hamburg and Berlin.

Director's statement
“As a big fan of the novel Jim Knopf, it was clear to me that the story, which was published by Michael Ende in two books, would only be told to the end when the second volume, Jim Knopf und die wilde 13, had also been made into a film. Without him the story of Jim Knopf would not have come to a dignified end. I am very happy and grateful that I was able to experience this journey with my wonderful actors and the greatest team. I hope Michael Ende would have liked it.”