Marleen Valien

Marleen is a Berlin-based director known for her impactful and award-winning work in film and advertising. She began her studies in media at the Berlin University of the Arts, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication design and participated in an art class led by renowned artist and professor Ai Weiwei. Currently, she studies directing at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.

Her short films Not the 80s, Hot Dog, and A Small Cut have won multiple awards and been screened at prominent film festivals, including Sundance, Tribeca, Clermont-Ferrand, and Max Ophüls. Hot Dog and A Small Cut received particular acclaim, with the latter shortlisted for a BAFTA LA award.

In commercial work, Marleen’s stop-motion ads for Oatly’s Made for Hoomans campaign won two golds at the Young Directors Award in Cannes and a Spotlight award. She has also directed music videos for artists like Milky Chance and Midnight Tracks, with her video Anymore earning her a silver at YDA and a nomination for the UK Music Video Awards.

Marleen’s latest collaboration with the feminist art collective Who Needs Feminism Today? questions the symbolism of billionaire space exploration and advocates for gender equality in space. This thought-provoking project was shortlisted for three Cannes Lions awards, including the Glass Lion for Change, and featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where it received high praise and enthusiastic applause.