Hi, my name is Silke.
I make movies and
photographs.
I love science fiction and arthouse.
I'm a director, writer, photographer, artist, producer and feminist.
about me
I was born in Aachen.
I've studied film- and tv-science and directing at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, Germany. More than 20 years I've worked as a script supervisor and assistant director for television and cinema movies, and I'm the assistance to my mentor Margarethe von Trotta for more than 15 years. My latest published short film "Mind Your Body" – a sci-fi drama – has been screened at more than 50 international film festivals and won 26 awards. My debut film SUNNY was first screened at the 59. Internationale Hofer Filmtage in October 2025.
film
59. Internationale Hofer Filmtage
SUNNY – a sci-fi/horror arthouse feature about a couple finding themselves before they can find back to each other in a world that no longer exists as we know it.
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SUNNY is officially selected for the Hof International Film Festival 2025! It will be the world premiere of the debut feature film. Follow us on Instagram @sunny_themovie to stay updated.
showreel
The Window, Cherry Cake
and Mind Your Body
are award-winning short films written, produced and directed by Silke C. Engler. Here you can watch her latest work.
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festivals and awards
Sunny
• 59th HOFER INTERNATIONALE FIMTAGE (Official Selection, Germany) OCTOBER, 2025
Mind Your Body
• 5th BANGALORE SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, India) JUNE 12, 2016
• SHORTS AT MOONLIGHT KURZFILMFESTIVAL (Competition, Frankfurt a.M., Germany) JULY 22, 2016
• *BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (STUDENT)*
5th KOLKATA SHORTS INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, India) JULY 24, 2016
• *PRESIDENT’S AWARD*
5th NORTH CAROLINA FILM AWARDS (Official Selection, Raleigh, USA)
SEPTEMBER 5, 2016
• SCI FI SUNDAY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL (Museum Lichtspiele Kino, Munich, Germany) SEPTEMBER 11, 2016
• 3rd FIRST STEP FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Tirana, Albania) SEPTEMBER 14, 2016
• *BEST DIRECTOR (STUDENT)*
4th INDIAN CINE FILM FESTIVAL 2016 (Official Selection, Mumbai, India) SEPTEMBER 18, 2016
• 15th HYPERFEST INT’L STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Cinema Europa, Bucharest, Romania) OCTOBER 26, 2016
• 9th POST MORTEM INTERNATIONAL HORROR AND BIZARRE FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Aguascalientes, Mexico) OCTOBER 27, 2016
• *BEST SHORT FILM - JURY (STUDENT)*
5th DELHI SHORTS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, India) NOVEMBER 6, 2016
• *BEST FILM (STUDENT)*
5th MUMBAI SHORTS INT'L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Mumbai, India) DECEMBER 21, 2016
• 1st CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, India) DECEMBER 24, 2016
• *BEST DIRECTOR*
4th NOIDA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, India) FEBRUARY 12, 2017
• 5th GENRENALE (Official Selection, Berlin, Germany) FEBRUARY 13, 2017
• 17th FILUMS - INT'L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Lahore, Pakistan) FEBRUARY 17, 2017
• RED DIRT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Edmond, OK, USA) MARCH 2, 2017
• *WINNER BEST SCI FI SHORT*
1st CREATION INT'L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Imagine Cinemas Ottawa, Canada) MARCH 26, 2017
• 1st FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE CINE DEL CONO SUR (Official Selection, Valparaíso, Chile) APRIL 20, 2017
• *PLATINUM REMI AWARD*
50th WORLDFEST-HOUSTON (Official Selection, Houston, Texas, USA) APRIL 21, 2017
• 2nd ACTION&ADVENTURE FILM FESTIVAL MOVIEPARK (Official Selection, Los Angeles, California, USA) APRIL 21, 2017
• CINEMA AT THE EDGE (CATE) FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Santa Monica, CA, USA) APRIL 27, 2017
• *BEST DIRECTOR (STUDENT)*
7th DADA SAHEB PHALKE FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Delhi, India) APRIL 30, 2017
• *BEST STUDENT FICTION FILM*
1st BEST FICTION FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Los Angeles, USA) MAY 19, 2017
• 1st INT'L INDEPENDENT PERMANENT MEMORIES FESTIVA 2017 (Official Selection, Italy) JUNE 8, 2017
• 12th CYPRUS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL "GOLDEN APHRODITE" PAPHOS (Official Selection, Cyprus) JUNE 14, 2017
• 23rd PALM SPRINGS INT'L SHORTFEST AND FILM MARKET (Film Market, Palm Springs, CA, USA) JUNE 20, 2017
• 2nd TERMINUS CONFERENCE + FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Atlanta, Georgia, USA) JUNE 22, 2017
• *JURY PRIZE BEST COLLEGE FILMMAKER*
23rd SAFILM- SAN ANTONIO FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, San Antonio, Texas, USA) JULY 31, 2017
• 35th LONG ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, NY, USA) AUGUST 1, 2017
• 30th DRAGON CON INDEPENDENT SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Atlanta, Georga, USA) SEPTEMBER 1, 2017
• 3rd HARRISBURG-HERSHEY FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Harrisburg, PA, USA) SEPTEMBER 7, 2017
• 16th GREAT LAKES INT'L SHORTS FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Erie, Pennsylvania, USA) SEPTEMBER 21, 2017
• SACRAMENTO FILM & MUSIC FESTIVAL 2017 (Official Selection, CA, USA) SEPTEMBER 22, 2017
• *BEST FICTION SHORT FILM* *BEST ART DIRECTION*
3rd BANGKOK THAI INT'L FILM FESTIVAL OCTOBER 15, 2017
• 1st SHORT LONG WORLD FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Argentina) NOVEMBER 9, 2017
• 3rd VANCOUVER ALTERNATIVE FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Vancouver, Canada) NOVEMBER 22, 2017
• *HONORABLE MENTION*
3rd INT'L STUDENT, NEWCOMER AND WOMAN MOVIE AWARDS (Official Selection, Jakarta, Indonesia) NOVEMBER 23, 2017
• *BEST STUDENT SHORT FILM* *BEST COSTUME DESIGN SHORT FILM* *BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN SHORT FILM* *BEST SOUND DESIGN SHORT FILM* *SPECIAL MENTION ART DIRECTION SHORT FILM*
1st FIVE CONTINENTS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela) DECEMBER 10, 2017
• 4th AUSTIN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Austin, USA) DECEMBER 13, 2017
• INT'L FILM FESTIVAL (Final round of Cinema Grand Prix (CGP), Jakarta, Indonesia) FEBRUARY 2, 2018
• 4th FECIME - FESTIVAL CINEMATOGRÁFICO DE MÉRIDA (Official Selection, Mérida, Yucatán, México) FEBRUARY 8, 2018
• 9th BERLIN INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Berlin, Germany) FEBRUARY 15, 2018
• 3rd FINDECOIN - INT'L SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Anzoátegui, Venezuela) FEBRUARY 23, 2018
• 5th WORLD OF WOMEN FILM FAIR MIDDLE EAST 2018 (Official Selection, Dubai, United Arab Emirates) MARCH 6, 2018
• 3rd LAS CRUCES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Las Cruces, NM, USA) MARCH 7, 2018
• FIRST GLANCE SHORT FILM ONLINE CONTEST (Official Selection, Los Angeles, CA, USA) MARCH 12, 2018
• *BEST DEBUT SCI-FI*
2nd FALCON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, London, UK) MARCH 27, 2018
• 16th RIVERSIDE INT'L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Riverside, CA, USA) APRIL 18, 2018
• 3rd MAYKOP INT'L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Maykop, Russia) JULY 12, 2018
• 7th MADRID INT'L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Madrid, Spain) JULY 20, 2018
• 6th SKYLINE INDIE FILM FEST (Official Selection, Winchester, VA, USA) SEPTEMBER 6, 2018
Cherry Cake (Kirschkuchen)
• 5th DADA SAHEB PHALKE FILM FESTIVAL 2015 (Official Selection, New Delhi, India) APRIL 30, 2015
• 12th PLATTFORM: [NO BUDGET] MEDIENFESTIVAL (Official Selection, Tübingen, Germany) JUNE 21, 2015
• 10th BIG SUR INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM SCREENING SERIES (Competition, Big Sur, CA, USA) AUGUST 6, 2015
• 8th FILMZEITKAUFBEUREN (Competition, Germany) OCTOBER 10, 2015
• *BRONZE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT FILM AWARD*
14th INTERNATIONAL STUDENT FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL OF BEIJING FILM ACADEMY (Competition, Beijing, China) OCTOBER 18, 2015
• 4th DELHI SHORTS INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, India) NOVEMBER 1, 2015
• *BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (STUDENT)*
4th MUMBAI SHORTS INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, India) DECEMBER 12, 2015
• 27th ISTANBUL INT’L SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Turkey) FEBRUARY 3, 2016
• *BOARD OF DIRECTOR’S AWARD WINNER*
4th NORTH CAROLINA FILM AWARDS (Official Selection, USA) FEBRUARY 26, 2016
• 10th BUFFALO NIAGARA FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, NY, USA)APRIL 1, 2016
• 15th TIBURON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, CA, USA)APRIL 8, 2016
• *GOLD REMI AWARD*
49th ANNUAL WORLDFEST HOUSTON (Nominated for Remi Award (no Screening), Texas, USA) APRIL 8, 2016
• 6th NEW VISION INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Competition Program, Kiev, Ukraine) APRIL 15, 2016
• NEAR NAZARETH FESTIVAL 2016 (Official Selection, Afula, Israel) MAY 18, 2016
• *BEST FILM -JURY (STUDENT)*
5th BANGALORE SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, India) JUNE 12, 2016
• 10th FIRST INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL XINING (Out-of-competition programme „Academic Spirits“, China) JULY 21, 2016
• 3rd SAMYAK INT’L SHORT FILM & DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL 2016 (Official Selection, Pune, India) AUGUST 19, 2016
• 2nd ANOTHER INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA) SEPTEMBER 8, 2016
• LA GRANDE ABBUFFATA FOOD FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Pozzuoli, Italy) SEPTEMBER 10, 2016
• 4th INDIAN CINE FILM FESTIVAL 2016 (Official Selection, Mumbai, India) SEPTEMBER 18, 2016
• 1st TEGENSTROOM INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Netherlands) DECEMBER 10, 2016
• 7th QUEENS WORLD FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, USA)
TV
Großstadtrevier
Coming soon!
photography
Travelling Exhibition
Since March 2023 a traveling exhibition with art from and about the occupation of Lützerath reminds of the utopian community and and their fight for climate justice in the village of Lützerath 2020-2023. The exhibition reflects and asks: What can be the tasks and opportunities of political art? What is the role of art as an activistic medium and what forms of activism can it take?
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Former exhibitions: Heidelberg, Munich, Freiburg
Coming soon: Maastricht
Art Collection of Foundation of House of History of North Rhine-Westphalia
Black and white photographies taken during the occupation of Lützerath 2020-2023 are part of the Art Collection of the Foundation of House of History of North-Rhine-Westphalia since 2023 . The photos werde taken when I lived in a community in Lützerath. They give a very private insight and show a different perspective on the activists' and inhabitants' everyday life during the occupation.
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Former exhibitions: Cologne
Coming soon.
contact
