Lillian Rosa

Lillian Rosa, a graduate of the Academy of Media Arts Cologne, has spent nearly two decades as an award-winning writer, director, and producer specializing in documentary filmmaking, with films screened at international festivals. Her feature documentaries include The House of Good Spirits and The Man Who Healed the World.

Bringing socio-political projects to life is a passion she has pursued in various constellations, including the co-founding of the cultural nonprofit Neu am See e.V., the viral large-scale art performance 1000GESTALTEN, and event formats.

She currently integrates her professional experience with her broader societal engagement in her doctoral research at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. Her dissertation examines how production conditions for Social Impact Documentaries can be developed in Germany. With this work she is a core part of the reserach project Film as a Catalyst of Social Transformation (2025-2029), funded by the Volkswagen Foundation and conducted with partners such as AG DOK, AG Verleih, and Maja Göpel.

Lillian Rosa regularly teaches as a guest lecturer at universities, including UCLA, KHM Cologne, and the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF, and speaks on panels at institutions such as Tate Modern, re:publica, and the Silbersalz Festival, addressing the intersections of film, society, and transformation.

Academic discipline:

• Film Production

 research interests / fields of expertise:

• Film and Impact
• New Forms of Film Production and Distribution

Projects:

• Research project Film as a Catalyst of Social Transformation (2025–2029), together with Jens Eder (Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF), Gesine Mannheimer and Saskia Vömel (Jetzt & Morgen, AG Verleih), Valentin Thurn (AG DOK), Nicole Zabel-Wasmuth (Planet Narratives), Maja Göpel (Mission Wertvoll), and PhD candidates (Michael Sterr). Funded by the Volkswagen Foundation.

Documentary Formats (Selection):

• The Man Who Healed the World (2026 / Feature Documentary, 83 min / Writer, Director, Producer with Marcus Richardt)
• The House of Good Spirits (2019 / Feature Documentary, 105 min / Writer, Director, Producer with Marcus Richardt) – Hof International Film Festival 2019, Polish International Film Festival 2019, WIMMF Washington D.C. 2020, Malabo International Music & Film Festival 2019
• (R)EVOLUTION (2018 / Web Short Documentary, 5 min / Writer, Director, Producer)
• Club der wilden Dichter (2016 / TV Documentary 3Sat, 45 min / Writer, Director, Producer with Marcus Richardt)
• Arte Tracks (2020 / TV Pop Culture Magazine, various episodes / Writer, Director)

Other Activities (Selection):

• Co-founder of the cultural nonprofit Neu am See e.V.
• Member of AG DOK
• Member of GIPA (Global Impact Producers Alliance)
• Co-founder of 1000GESTALTEN
• Co-founder of the event series #WhatDoYouFightFor?
• Founder of the socio-cultural educational initiative Cinema Youth Club (2008–2011, including German Youth Video Award)

Awards:

• Villa Aurora Fellowship, 2011
• W139 Artist Residency, 2021