BIOGRAPHY
Meret Madörin was born in Northern Germany and grew up in Switzerland. Early on it was clear to her, that both the photographic image and the cinematic moving image, and thus the work behind the camera, would be the common thread of her professional path. After studying film at the Zurich University of the Arts (CH), she gained experience as an assistant camera on national and international productions. With a Master’s degree in Cinematography from the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF (DE), she established herself as a Director of Photography.
In 2020, she was nominated for the Michael-Ballhaus-Award at First Steps for her cinematography of the multi award-winning short film «Trading Happiness» by Đức Ngô Ngọc. In 2023, she collaborated again with director Đức Ngô Ngọc on the six-part series «Made in Germany» (Studio Zentral, ARD Degeto). Currently she is working with him on their fifth joint project, the feature film «Ha-Neu/Berlin» (Golden Lola, Best Screenplay, 2025).
For her sensitively composed cinematography in the feature documentary «Exile never ends» by Bahar Bektaş (Pink Shadow Films), Meret Madörin won the Grimme Prize 2025. The film tells, in quiet and poetic images, of the consequences of migration and uprooting, earning widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike for its visual power.
Meret Madörin’s passion for cinema is also evident in her most recent feature film projects as a Director of Photography: «Traces of what remains» by Lisa Blatter (Lomotion Film) and «ameisen fressen kein halva» by Alisa Kolosova (Maverick Film), which both are set to premiere soon.
The focus of Meret Madörin’s work in both narrative and documentary filmmaking is to create worlds through visual storytelling that move, inspire, entertain, and build connections across cultures, themes and people. She is a member of the Women Cinematographers Network and serves as Vice President of the Swiss Cinematographers Society (SCS). Meret Madörin lives in Berlin and Zurich and enjoys working worldwide. She is represented by Talent Republic Agency.
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
2025 GRIMME PRIZE for best cinematography for «Exile never ends» / D
2025 BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY, 18. Istanbul Documentary Days / Turkey
2020 Nomination MICHAEL-BALLHAUS-PRIZE for «Trading Happiness» / D
2013 Award BEST CAMERA for «Sturm», Shortfilm Festival, Basel / CH
2009 Culture Award of the city Burgdorf / CH
PRESSE
→ Interview BEYOND THE SCREEN, Swiss Films
LINKS
→ SCS, Swiss Cinematographers Society
→ Women Cinematographers Network
© Thao Hien Vo
© Anna imaze
© Clemens Szelies
© Dustin John