Marlene Tanczik | Director

Marlene Tanczik was born in Dresden in 1993. After completing her professional dance training, she studied acting at the University of Music and Theater in Leipzig. During her studies, she was part of the Schauspiel Köln ensemble for two years and then began her first engagement at the Neues Theater Halle. She has appeared in the historical cinema drama FRIDAS FALL (directed by Maria Brendle), PARADISE (directed by Boris Kunz), and BLINDSPOT (directed by Hannu Salonen), among others. Most recently, she starred in the new Disney+ series VIENNA GAME. Marlene Tanczik is a graduate of the 35th Drehbuchwerkstatt München (Munich Screenwriting Workshop) and was awarded the Tankred Dorst Prize at the 2024 Munich Film Festival for her first feature film screenplay MOON UNIT.
Director Statement
MOON UNIT is my autofictional directorial debut, inspired by my upbringing in Dresden. Fear, responsibility, shame, the need for love and security - children of parents with mental illness experience emotional overwhelm. Often, their own needs and dreams disappear. People living with the illness and their relatives are often isolated and, because of prevailing stigma, rarely have access to support. My intention is not to trivialize or demonize the mother's bipolar disorder. I am drawn to complex, controversial female characters who are allowed to make mistakes, stumble, struggle and doubt. Mother and daughter are like two planets — Moonie orbits Sonja, aligns herself around her, and over the course of the film must learn to place herself at the center of her own universe, or she will burn.
Do we have a right to our own happiness?