Born in Vienna, Austria, Markus Schleinzer is an actor, screenwriter, casting director, and film director. Before establishing himself as a director, he spent 17 years working as a casting director on films by Michael Haneke, Jessica Hausner, and Ulrich Seidl, deeply rooting himself in Austrian cinema. His debut feature, Michael (2011), premiered in the Berlinale′s Perspektive Deutsches Kino section before being invited to the main competition at Cannes, while his second feature, Angelo (2018), screened in the main competitions at San Sebastián and Toronto. His third feature, Rose, had its world premiere in the main competition at the 2026 Berlinale, where it earned lead actress Sandra Hüller the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance.
