Jack Rath is an Australian / Swiss director, writer, editor, actor and voice-over artist based in Berlin.
Following a Bachelor of Arts (Media Arts) at RMIT Melbourne, Jack Rath worked in the Australian industry before moving to Berlin and settling in 2000.
His first German short OLLI (35 mm) a co-production with the HFF (Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen Konrad Wolf) played in over forty international festivals and went on to win prizes, accolades and received the FBW’s German certificate ‘Besonders Wertvoll’ and short film of the month. His follow up debut feature documentary BETWEEN HOME: ODYSSEY OF AN UNUSUAL SEA BANDIT‘ premiered at Achtung Berlin before going onto to screen at various international festivals.
In 2021-22 Jack received a Neustart Kultur grant for project development from the German Federal Government which carried through to the production of his sophomore feature written and directed, BISCUIT TIN BLUES now in the final stages of post-production. In this comedy-drama road movie, a character study of males in crisis, Jack also plays a lead opposite new-comer Michael Fergusson.
On screen Jack also played ‘Gunman’ in Frauke Havemann’s and Eric Schefter's WEATHER HOUSE premiering at Slamdance in 2017. He-joined the team for The Woman Who Swallowed Her House, and then in 2021 as Rick in their next feature BE RIGHT BACK.
Alongside these pursuits Jack, directs and edits numerous music-videos, commercials, documentary and television films, is active as educator and tutor for filmmaking collaborating and running workshops for the Deutsches Filminstitut (DFF), Hochschule für Schauspielkunst Ernst Busch, IDFA - International Documentary Festival Amsterdam, Hochschulübergreifendes Zentrum Tanz Berlin (HZT).
Together with the German Filmakademie & Bilderbewegen e.V and colleagues Jack has made over twenty- shortfim with young people in initiatives MIX-IT! and SPOTS have won awards some films socially minded projects screened at international children’s film festivals.
Jack is an Alumni of the Berlin Talent Campus and the Equinox Europe International Screenwriters’ Workshop.
WRITER & DIRECTOR
2024 - BISCUIT TIN BLUES feature film in post-production
2019 - Music Videos: Die Rixdorfer Perlen “Königin von Berlin”, She’s a Woman “The Art of Pleasing”
2018 - Down Brother Up – teaser film for feature length project in development
2012 - BETWEEN HOME: Odyssey of unusual sea bandit – feature length documentary Co-production with Hanfgarn & Ufer filmproduktion & Selin Yaman
2006 - OLLI, 35mm short film, German language. HHF Potsdam
2003 - CAPITALISM, short film
2000 - CAMERA IN HAND, mid-length Super 8 essay / documentary.
1997 - BIGGER FISH TO FRY, short 16mm silent film
1995 - RECOIL, student film 16mm RMIT University graduation work.
1993 - TRANS, EXPAND URBAN, experimental student film 16mm
1992 - RHYTHMSCAPES, experimental Super 8 & sound installation, APPLESALUTE experimental student film 16mm & video
1990 - CAMERA WRAP, experimental student video Installation. La Trobe University Library
WRITER
2024 - BISCUIT TIN BLUES feature film in post-production
2019 - THE HOFF bio-documentary about David Hasselhoff, outline & script for producers Philip Hohn and Christian Mueller
2017 - 2019 DOWN BROTHER UP feature length screenplay, Stick Up Films GmbH
2006 - HALS & BEINBRUCH sitcom pilot, Nostro Film Berlin
2005 - BIG CITIES SMALL STORIES – short film by Christoph Lukus
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
2022 – Schlamassel – Dir. Sylke Enders / JORONI Produktions- und Verleih GmbH CZAR Film GmbH
ACTOR
2023 – BISCUIT TIN BLUES, director Jack Rath. In post-production
2021 - BE RIGHT BACK, director Frauke Havemann. Premiered at Slamdance
2019 - THE WOMAN WHO SWALLOWED HER HOUSE, director Frauke Havemann
2017 - WEATHER HOUSE, director Frauke Havemann. Premiered at Slamdance
FILM EDITOR (SELECTED)
2022 – Raising the Steaks (mid-length fiction) in post-production. Dir. Glen Geiger Cole
2009 – present, WOOZLE GOOZLE German shildren’s television show (6 seasons)
2013 - 2020 numerous industrial films, image films and commercials for the Technische Universität Berlin, Max Planck Institute, Federal Ministry of Health,
2012 - ERRORS OF THE HUMAN BODY (Assembly-editor) feature film by Eron Sheean, Instinctive Film, high5films Berlin, MDM Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Pandastorm pictures.
2011 - 100 DUTCH MASTERS series ‘Marc Bijl’ ‘Tjebbe Beekman’ ‘Iris van Dongen’ Documentary by Ditteke Mensink
2009 - WUNSCHKINDER Documentary German television
2008 - KATRIN UND DIE WELT DER TIERE German children’s television series
2007 - PETER MAFFAY: ENCOUNTERS - AN ALLIANCE FOR CHILDREN (co-editor) international documentary. WILDLIFE NANNIES international documentary series
2005 - MAJORCA: PARADISE OF CRIME German documentary
2006 - GREIFSWALD JUGEND AMT German documentary
MORNING EVENING MORNING, short by David Burrows - Le Fresnoy National Studio of Contemporary Arts
2004 - LIEBST DU MICH, Inspired by “Dämonen” from Lars Noròn. Installation video by Martin Engler. Camera and Editing
ZWISCHEN DEN WELTEN, short by Daniel Steiner & Project 11 Berlin.
2002 - SWIMMING UNDERGROUND MARY WORONOV documentary by Thorsten Trimpop, Locarno Film Festival, Arte, ORB
2001 - SELBST SCHNITT video installation by Wolfgang Hart, Festival Oberhausen, Kasseler Dokumentarfilm & Videofest Zuviel.tv Kunst Programme Berlin. MY WAY video installation by Funfraumwohnung, Erfurt Arts Museam
1999 - 2000 HURT 16mm, super 8mm, video - feature film by Philip Crawford. Australian Film Critics Special Award, SBS Television, ACMI Collection (Australian Centre for the Moving Image)
1998 - HANGER short by Colin Mowbray. Sydney Tropfest finalist, ABV television.
1995 - GOD MADE LITTLE GIRLS student film by Andrew Mission, Best Editing Award - Montecatini Film Festival Italy
DIRECTOR & EDUCATOR SOCIAL PROJECT WORKSHOPS
2023 – Deutsches Film Academy ‘Spots’ / Workshop leader in filmmaking praxis
2013 - 2015 IDENTITY TRIOGY,
Deutschen Filmmuseum Frankfurt, Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien (BKM) & Kinder- und Jugend-Aliyah e.V.
2016 - 2020 Mix It! Filmproject LET’S THINK ABOUT LOVE, SEHEN HÖREN REDEN, FERNWEH, NACH EINER WAHREN GESCHICHTE, WÄHLE DEINEN WEG, THE CAGE -. Deutschen Filmakademie der Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, Bildung, dem Freistaat Sachsen?dem Thüringer Ministerium für Migration, Justiz und Verbraucherschutz, dem Bündnis für Brandenburg Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kultur des Landes Brandenburg Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg
2010 - STAY THE NIGHT, student short, Ho Chi Minh International School. Saigon Student Film Festival
2007 - 2009 SPITZENFLIEGER, DIMENSION X, DURCH DIE DICK DUMME WAND – Bewegliche Ziele e.v.
ART & PERFORMANCE MOVING IMAGE
2001 to present Video and sound for Regina Gyr’s productions DOPPLEREFFEKT, PHOBIC INC., AUF DEM RÜCKEN SCHWIMMEN, BARRACCAPOLIS, CRIME+GENIUS, FALLWIND, DER HIMMEL UND SEIN DRECKLOCH, ALPENRÖCHELN III, VORHER / NACHHER / MEINE MUTTER WAR EINUNDSIEBZIG UND DIE SPÄTZLE WAREN IM FEUER IN HAFT, PARADIS SURPRIS, EINSAM LEHNEN AM BEKANNTEN & MENSCHMONSTERMACHINE
2004 - HEUTE MITTAG SITZT ER NICHT IM BEIJING, Palace the Republic Berlin. Editor for Penelope Wehrli’s video and sound installation based on Michael Roes’s novel ‘Der Coup der Berdache’
2003 - EMILY ON THE ROCKS, Podewil Berlin. Performance installation by Penelope Wehrli, video editor and text projection animation
2003 - DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN - Staatsbank Berlin. Video design for Berthold Schneider, Operaworks
1997 - KABOOM: EXPLOSIVE ANIMATION, Curator Philip Brophy. M.C.A Sydney (Museum of Contemporary Art) Direction and production of exhibition films
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS:
2005 OLLI (tragic comedy -10 min - 35mm) Best Foreign Film Fic Mostoles International Short Film Festival Madrid. Honorable Mentions at Next Reel Film Festival Tisch School of the Arts New York, Jutro Film Festival Warsaw Poland, Festival of Nations Ebensee Austria, Etudia & Anima Festival Krakow Poland, Sleepwalkers Film festival Tallin Estonia.
Deutsch Filmbewertungsstelle Prädikat “Besonders Wertvoll” & FBW Short Film of the month (Especially Significant Commendation by German film rating board)?
1999 HURT, Best Editing nomination - A.F.I Awards (Australian Film Institute)
GOD MADE LITTLE GIRLS, 1995. Best Editing Award - Montecatini Film Festival Italy.?
KINDER MACHEN KURZ FILME, 2011 Preisträger im Bundesweiten Wettbewerb „Ideen für die Bildungsrepublik”, Mix-it Filmproject 10. Hauptstadtpreis für Demokratie und Toleranz.