Dieter Schumann was born in Ludwigslust in 1953. From 1970 to 1975, he trained as a professional seaman while earning his high-school diploma. He then worked as an assistant director at East German television from 1976 to 1978, before studying directing at the Academy for Film and Television in Potsdam-Babelsberg. From 1983 to 1991, he was a director at the DEFA Studio for Documentary Films. He mainly directed short films, before working on his major documentary, whisper & SHOUT (1988). In 1994, he produced a follow-up that focused on bands like Sandow, Feeling B and the launch of Rammstein after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He is the founding director of the FilmKunstFest (FilmArtFestival) Schwerin. In 2002, he set up the Basthorster Filmmanufaktur (Basthorst Film Factory). Schumann works as a director, author and producer for television projects.

Selected Filmography

2008 God’s Women – The Last Deaconesses in Mecklenburg (doc., Die Frauen Gottes – Die letzten Diakonissen von Mecklenburg), 2005-2008 Profiles of Mecklenburg (doc., Mecklenburger Profile), 1994 whisper & SHOUT II (TV, doc., flüstern & SCHREIEN II), 1990 Dissidenten (MTV music video), 1989 Life on the Fish Farm (doc., Leben auf der Fischerkoppel), 1988 whisper & SHOUT (doc., flüstern & SCHREIEN), 1985 Love the World Like Your Country (doc., Lieb die Erde wie dein Land), 1984 B… Like Beginning (doc., A… Wie Anfang)