Biography for
Michael Haneke More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

Nickname

Trade Mark

Short outbursts of violence

Use of extremely long static takes

Uses no film score

Trivia

Besides working on his various movie projects, he also works as a professor for directing at the Vienna Film Academy.

He started his career as a playwright for the Südwestfunk (ARD) in 1967 and started working as a freelance director for TV and theater in 1970.

He was raised in the city of Wiener Neustadt, Austria and later studied psychology, philosophy and theatrical sciences at the University of Vienna, Austria.

Son of director and actor Fritz Haneke and actress Beatrix Degenschild.

Directed his first opera, "Don Giovanni" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in Paris. His unconventional interpretation caused mixed reactions among critics and the audience (27 January 2006).

Named his ten favorite films in the 2002 Sight & Sound Greatest Films Poll: Au hasard Balthazar (1966), Lancelot du Lac (1974), Zerkalo (1975), Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (1975), El ángel exterminador (1962), The Gold Rush (1925), Psycho (1960), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Germania anno zero (1948) and L'eclisse (1962).

Haneke's statement that, "A feature film is twenty-four lies per second" is a reversal of and most likely a reference to Jean-Luc Godard's famous quote, "The cinema is truth, twenty-four frames per second.".

One of 105 people invited to join AMPAS in 2008.

Personal Quotes

Films that are entertainments give simple answers but I think that's ultimately more cynical, as it denies the viewer room to think. If there are more answers at the end, then surely it is a richer experience.

I like the multiplicity of books, because each book is different in the mind of each reader. It's the same with this film - if 300 people are in a cinema watching it, they will all see a different film, so in a way there are thousands of different versions of Hidden. The point being that, despite what TV shows us, and what the news stories tell us, there is never just one truth, there is only personal truth.

A feature film is twenty-four lies per second.

It's the duty of art to ask questions, not to provide answers. And if you want a clearer answer, I'll have to pass.

	You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.
	With our Resume service you can add photos and build a complete resume to help you achieve the best possible presentation on the IMDb. Click here to add your resume and/or your photos to IMDb.

Browse biographies section by name

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z