EXCLUSIVE: Austrian filmmaker Markus Schleinzer, whose film Rose won the Silver Bear at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival, has signed with Cinetic for representation.
Set in the 17th century, Rose follows a woman who disguises herself as a male soldier to integrate into a secluded village community. The film, a black-and-white period piece, debuted in Berlinale competition, and star Sandra Hüller won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance. Hüller’s soldier appears in a secluded Protestant village amidst the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War.
Of all competition films at Cannes and Berlinale, Rose remains one of the most positively reviewed. Produced by Johannes Schubert, Philipp Worm, Tobias Walker, and Karsten Stöter, Rose was acquired by MUBI out of the festival for multiple territories, including North America. MUBI will release the film in US theaters after qualifying the film in November.
Before becoming a filmmaker, Schleinzer spent years as a casting director, helping shape the international success of Austrian cinema through close collaborations with Michael Haneke, Jessica Hausner, and Ulrich Seidl. On the Golden Globe-winning, Oscar-nominated The White Ribbon, he was responsible not only for casting the child actors but also for directing their performances on set.
Rose is Schleinzer’s third feature, following his Cannes competition debut, Michael, and Angelo, which played in competition at San Sebastián and Toronto International Film Festivals. He is now developing Klaus, a coming-of-age musical starring actor and musician Christian Friedel as German singer Klaus Nomi, a fixture of New York’s East Village art scene in the 1970s known for his theatrical live performances, bold make-up, and unusual costumes before his death from AIDS in 1983. Schleinzer is co-writing the project with Rose collaborator Alexander Brom, with Austria- and Germany-based Schubert — also behind Rose — producing.
Schleinzer continues to be represented by Katrin Näher of Talent Republic Agency in Germany.
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