Biography

Robert Kirchhoff (born May 7, 1968) is a Slovak independent film director, producer, cinematographer, and scriptwriter. Robert Kirchhoff was born in Nitra, Slovakia.

Between 1995 and 2000 he studied film directing at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, where he graduated as M.A. (2000), later as Art. Dr. (2006) and tenured associate professor in documentary film. In his professional career he filmed and produced many feature documentaries, many of which achieved a significant recognition at numerous festivals domestically and internationally. His filmmaking focuses on current social topics that cope with “traumatic” heritage of historical events in Central Europe in the 20th century. To name the few, he provides a critical insight into current situation of minorities at the edge of society in post-communist Slovakia (Black Word/Calo Lav, 1999), or explores the social and moral identity in the wake of the “capitalism” in former Eastern Bloc (Hey you Slovaks, 2002). His documentary Normalization/Kauza Cervanova, 2013 deals with the juridical crime.

The screenings and retrospective of his work include such venues as Anthology of Film Archives, New York, USA (2006), Columbia University, New York (2004) or New School University New York (USA), (1999).

Since 2002 he is a founder and CEO of atelier.doc Ltd., which was established as an independent production organization focusing primarily on production of documentary films and TV movies (www.atelierdoc.sk). One of its major projects is cultural chronicle Alternative archive which collects social and cultural events, memories, statements and a free series of social documentary films Film and society which Robert Kirchhoff is an author, producer and literary advisor.

Since 2003 he also participated as a producer or a co-producer on some of the most significant and awarded Slovak and Czech documentaries that gained national and international recognition. These include such titles as Disease of the Third power (dir. Zuzana Piussi), Made in Ash (dir. Iveta Grófová), Obscurantist and his lineage (dir. Karel Vachek). He also coproduced a documentary Blind Love (dir. Juraj Lehotsky), which was awarded by CICAE award at Cannes 2008.

In addition to his filmmaking career, Robert Kirchhoff holds an academic appointment of associate professor at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava where he leads the course: the Directing of documentary film and Auteur documentary film. He also works as a lecturer of film courses at Summer Film School in his native Slovakia or in neighboring countries of Central Europe.