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Harun Farocki

Harun Farocki

Writer and actor · Died July 30, 2014, aged 70 · Neutitschein, Sudetenland

Harun Farocki was a German filmmaker, author, and lecturer in film. He made over 90 films, the vast majority of them short experimental documentaries.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 9, 1944
Died
July 30, 2014 (aged 70)
From
Neutitschein, Sudetenland
Works as
Writer and actor
Titles
6 on MovieCove · 126 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 29% in 30 days

What are Harun Farocki's films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
31%
Self
29%
Morality
14%
Survival
13%
Society
9%
Bonds
4%
Identity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 0 · Dark 5

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 2

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 4

Ambiguous: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their ambiguous movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 0 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 3

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Melancholic
3
Contemplative
2
Bittersweet
2
Dread
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Thought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Harun Farocki's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Harun Farocki's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

126 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Single. A Record is Being Produced (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director · Script

  • About Narration (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director · Actor

  • Make Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director

  • Remember Tomorrow is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director

  • The Words of the Chairman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director · Writer

  • Labour in a Single Shot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director

  • Confusion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director

  • As If We Were Somebody Else (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Dramaturgy

  • Phoenix(2014)

    Co-Writer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Harun, who only drinks beer, has a glass of wine (2011). (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Harun Farocki

  • Parallel I–IV (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director

  • Sauerbruch Hutton Architects (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director

  • A New Product (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • Barbara(2012)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Serious Games 1–4 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director

  • Repouring, Variation 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director

  • Serious Games 1 – "Watson Is Down" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • Serious Games 2 – Three Dead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • Serious Games 3 – Immersion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • Serious Games 4 – A Sun With No Shadow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • The Silver and the Cross (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director

  • In Comparison (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Producer · Still Photographer · Writer

  • Feasting or Flying (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director

  • Übertragung (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director

  • Yella (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Script Editor

  • Memories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Story

  • Comparison via a Third (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director

  • Respite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Deep Play (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director

  • Am Rand der Städte (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Producer

  • Dubbing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director

  • On Construction of Griffith’s Films (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Director

  • Palette revisited (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Actor

  • Ghosts(2005)

    Dramaturgy · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • A Way (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director

  • Aufstellung (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director

  • Nothing Ventured (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Counter-Music (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director

  • War at a Distance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Eye / Machine III (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Eye / Machine II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The Creators of the Shopping Worlds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Writer

  • The State I Am In(2000)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Eye / Machine I (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director · Screenplay

  • I Thought I Was Seeing Convicts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Prison Images (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Deutsche Polizisten: Viele Kulturen - eine Truppe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Producer

  • What Farocki Taught (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Writer

  • Words and Games (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Documenta X - Die Filme (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director

  • The Expression of Hands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director · Writer · Actor

  • Still Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • The Interview (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director

  • Cuba Libre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Screenplay

  • The Appearance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • Interface (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Self

  • Pilots (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Script Editor

  • Workers Leaving the Factory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Narrador

  • The Leading Role (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • Re-education (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Writer

  • A Day in the Life of a Consumer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Director

  • Navy Cut (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Actor

  • Camera and Reality (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director

  • Videograms of a Revolution (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • The Warm Money (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Script Editor

  • Images of the World and the Inscription of War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer · as Self (uncredited)

  • What’s Up? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director

  • Kinostadt Paris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director

  • How to Live in the German Federal Republic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director

  • Image und Umsatz, oder: Wie kann man einen Schuh darstellen? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director

  • Georg K. Glaser – Writer and Smith (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director · Writer · as Self

  • Die Menschen stehen vorwärts in den Straßen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Director · Editor

  • Indoctrination (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Director · Writer

  • As You See (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director · Writer

  • Schlagworte – Schlagbilder. Ein Gespräch mit Vilém Flusser (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director · Writer · Actor

  • Filmbooks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director

  • Film-Tip: Le thé au harem d’Archimède (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director

  • Betrayed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The Double Face of Peter Lorre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Class Relations(1984)

    as Delamarche

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet at Work on a Film Based on Franz Kafka’s Amerika (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director · Editor · Screenplay · Actor

  • An Image (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director

  • Straub/Huillet: Work on "Class Relations" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director · Actor

  • Filme von Peter Weiss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director · Editor · Writer · as Self

  • Before Your Eyes - Vietnam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director

  • Zeit der langen Nächte (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    as Günter

  • Henry Angst (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Actor

  • Putting Things Straight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Actor

  • Zur Ansicht: Peter Weiss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director · Writer

  • The Taste of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director

  • Industry and Photography (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director

  • Cinématon(1984)

    as N°1068

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Between Two Wars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director · Writer · Actor

  • "Amerika" vor Augen oder Kafka in 43 Min. 30 Sec. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Film director

  • A Picture of Sarah Schumann (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director · Writer · as Self / Interviewer

  • Bedtime Stories: Bridges (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director

  • Bedtime Stories: Cat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director

  • Bedtime Stories: Railways (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director

  • Bedtime Stories: Ships (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director

  • Es stirbt allerdings ein jeder, fragt sich nur wie und wie Du gelebt hast (Holger Meins) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Actor

  • Bent or Broken (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Screenplay

  • About ‘Song of Ceylon’ by Basil Wright (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director · Writer · as (voice)

  • Kampf um ein Kind (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Actor

  • Moderatoren im Fernsehen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director · Script

  • Brunner is Next (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director · Writer

  • The Trouble with Images. A Critique of Television (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director

  • Einmal wirst auch du mich lieben. Über die Bedeutung von Heftromanen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director · Writer

  • Something Self Explanatory (15x) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director · Writer · Actor

  • Die Teilung aller Tage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director · Actor

  • Zum Begriff des 'kritischen Kommunismus' bei Antonio Labriola (1843-1904) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Actor

  • Wochenschau I: Requiem für eine Firma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Actor

  • The Inextinguishable Fire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Screenplay · Actor

  • Instructions on how to Pull off Police Helmets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer

  • Untitled or: Nixon Comes to Berlin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Untitled or: The Wandering Cinema for Engineering Students (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director

  • Three Shots at Rudi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director

  • Their Newspapers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director · Editor · Writer · Actor

  • Break the Power of the Manipulators (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Actor

  • White Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • 3000 Houses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Actor

  • The Campaign Volunteer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Farocki dreht (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Actor

  • Everybody a Berliner Kindl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Director · Writer

  • Two Paths (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Director · Writer

  • Cinématon n°1068 : Harun Farocki (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Häuser 1–2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 126 titles, 124 of them dated from 1966 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Barbara (2012)

$6.9M worldwide

Highest rated

Phoenix (2014)

Midcredits 91st

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting29 of 126: 17 only acting, 12 with another roleDirecting96 of 126: 42 only directing, 54 with another roleWriting58 of 126: 9 only writing, 49 with another roleProducing14 of 126: 2 only producing, 12 with another roleCinematography1 of 126: 0 only cinematography, 1 with another roleEditing15 of 126: 0 only editing, 15 with another roleOther crew5 of 126: 1 only other crew, 4 with another role

126 titles, 55 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 48 of them.

By decade

1960s14 · 6 acting · 10 crew1970s23 · 10 acting · 17 crew1980s18 · 6 acting · 15 crew1990s23 · 3 acting · 22 crew2000s25 · 1 acting · 24 crew2010s15 · 1 acting · 14 crew2020s6 · 1 acting · 6 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Harun Farocki's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 81st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 6 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 6 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser5

Most divisive · actor

Cinématon (1984)

88th percentile spread · 26% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Phoenix (2014)

Midcredits 91st · 76% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 57/100 and the plot and story 59/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Harun Farocki work with?

People who share at least 2 of Harun Farocki's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Christian Petzold shares the most, 4.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers