Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Ula Stöckl

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Ula Stöckl made an impact.

Ula Stöckl is a German feminist filmmaker, director, screenwriter, and occasional actress. She is known for her contributions to feminist cinema and her work exploring themes of female identity and social issues. Her films often challenge traditional cinematic conventions and offer alternative perspectives on women's experiences. Stöckl is considered a significant figure in the New German Cinema movement and has influenced subsequent generations of filmmakers through her innovative storytelling and commitment to feminist ideals.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

1954: Quit School and Trained for Secretarial Work

In 1954, Ula Stöckl quit school and trained for secretarial work, which would remain her principal source of paid employment till 1963.

1961: Trilingual Executive Secretary

Between 1961 and 1963, Ula Stöckl worked as a trilingual executive secretary.

August 1963: Editorial Assistant at DM-Verlag

Between May and August 1963, Ula Stöckl worked as an editorial assistant with the publishers DM-Verlag at Sandweier.

1964: Production of "Antigone"

In 1964, Ula Stöckl produced her first film, "Antigone", as part of her course, using a silent 35-mm Arri camera.

1968: Production of "Neun Leben hat die Katze"

In 1968, Ula Stöckl produced her graduation feature film, "Neun Leben hat die Katze" ("The cat has nine lives"), which subsequently acquired a cult status among supporters, seen by some as "West Germany’s first feminist film".

1968: Establishment of Production Company

In 1968, Ula Stöckl set up her own production company, "‚Ula Stöckl Filmproduktion".

1971: "die Geschichten vom Kübelkind" on Television

Starting in 1971, sections of "die Geschichten vom Kübelkind" began to find their way onto television, garnering a larger more mainstream audience and establishing more broadly the public reputations of its two co-producers.

1974: Co-production of "Fräulein Julie"

In 1974, Ula Stöckl co-produced with Werner Fassbinder Strindberg's stage drama "Fräulein Julie" at the Theater am Turm in Frankfurt. The experience was not an entirely happy one.

1978: Engagement with International Women's Film Festival

For fifteen years following its foundation in 1978, Ula Stöckl was closely engaged with the International Women's Film Festival in Créteil (Paris).

1982: Work for "Berlinale" Film Festival

Since 1982, Ula Stöckl has worked for the "Berlinale" film festival in connection with "competition and panorama", also finding a niche as a moderator and presenter of the festival's press conferences and public discussions.

1984: Release of "Der Schlaf der Vernunft"

In 1984, Ula Stöckl returned to the cinema with one of her most acclaimed productions, "Der Schlaf der Vernunft" ("Sleep of Reason").

1992: Release of "Das alte Lied"

In 1992, Ula Stöckl's "Das alte Lied" ("The old song"), one of the first so-called "Spielfilme" (loosely, "narrative films"), appeared. It revisited her theme of conflict in human relationships, and dealt with some of the themes arising out of reunification, thereby touching on matters which at the time were preoccupying very many Germans.

2002: Programme Adviser for Venice International Film Festival

For a couple of years between 2002 and 2004, Ula Stöckl was employed as a programme adviser in the selection committee for the Venice International Film Festival.

2004: Programme Adviser for Venice International Film Festival

For a couple of years between 2002 and 2004, Ula Stöckl was employed as a programme adviser in the selection committee for the Venice International Film Festival.

2004: Professorship at the University of Central Florida

Since 2004, Ula Stöckl has held a professorship at the University of Central Florida on the edge of Orlando FL where she focuses on film direction and production and, inevitably, on the place of women in film.