Rosa von Praunheim

Known for: Directing
Born: November 25, 1942, Riga, Latvia
Died: December 17, 2025
Movies: 145

Rosa von Praunheim, born Holger Bernhard Bruno Waldemar Mischwitzky, was a German film director, author, painter and the most famous gay rights activist in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. A prolific director, he has made over seventy feature films. He began his career associated to the New German Cinema as a senior member of the Berlin school of underground filmmaking. He took the artistic female name Rosa von Praunheim to remind people of the pink triangle that homosexuals had to wear in Nazi concentration camps.

Best-Known Movies

5.5

I Feel Like Disco

2013

5.4

It Is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse, But the Society in Which He Lives

1971

5.4

Darkroom

2019

5.5

The Einstein of Sex: Life and Work of Dr. M. Hirschfeld

2000

5.9

Tough Love

2015

5.4

Rent Boys

2011

5.4

The Bed Sausage

1971

4.3

Desire Will Set You Free

2015

4.7

Can I Be Your Bratwurst, Please?

2008

5.9

Men, Heroes and Gay Nazis

2005

Filmography

2025	Last Exit Gran Canaria	Self
2025	Rosa <3	Self (archive footage)
2024	Hape Kerkeling – Total Normal	Self
2022	Glückskind: Der schwule Filmemacher Rosa von Praunheim ist 80
2022	Come with Me to the Cinema – The Gregors	Self
2022	Rex Gildo: The Last Dance	Erzähler
2021	Isolation	Self
2021	Queer Cinema	Himself
2021	Meine Väter	Self
2020	Smart Berlin – Der „Stutti“
2019	Darkroom	Schlafender in S-Bahn
2018	Friendship of Men	Himself
2017	My Wonderful West Berlin
2015	Desire Will Set You Free	Ezra's Agent
2015	Praunheim Memoires	Self
2015	Vater	Man in Berlin
2014	How I Learned to Love the Numbers	Self
2014	Mario Wirz	Self
2013	I Feel Like Disco	Rosa von Praunheim
2012	Rosas Welt – 70 neue Filme von Rosa von Praunheim
2012	I am a Poem	Self
2012	Rosakinder	Self
2012	King of Comics
2011	Rent Boys	Self
2011	Mondo Lux: The Visual Worlds of Werner Schroeter	Self
2009	On the Other Side of the Screen: 100 Years of Moviemento Cinema
2007	Two Mothers
2007	Here’s Looking at You, Boy	Self
2005	Men, Heroes and Gay Nazis	Self
2004	Ein bisschen Luft unter die Flügel	Self
2003	Charlotte in Sweden	Self
2002	Pfui, Rosa!	Self
1997	Birth of a Nation	Self
1996	I Was a Jewish Sex Worker	Self
1996	Transexual Menace	Self - Interviewer
1990	Fire Under Your Ass
1990	Positive	Self
1990	Silence = Death	Self
1990	What Is the Relationship Between Rosa von Praunheim and the Male Strippers in San Francisco?	Self
1989	Survival in New York
1988	Anita – Dances of Vice
1987	Dolly, Lotte and Maria	Interviewer
1986	A Virus Knows No Morals	Rüdiger Kackinski
1986	September September	Self (archive footage)
1984	The Bite
1979	Tally Brown, New York
1977	George and Mike Kuchar	Self
1976	Underground and Emigrants	Self
1975	The Enchantment of the Blue Sailors	Matrose
1974	Monolog eines Stars
1972	Grotesk – Burlesk – Pittoresk
1972	Footage from Q&As with Rosa von Praunheim, including MoMA’s Cineprobe Screening, 1972
1968	Carla
1968	Von Rosa von Praunheim
1967	Silvo	Self

Directing, Writing & Producing

2025	Satanic Sow	Director, Writer
2024	Thirty Years with the Whip	Director
2022	Rex Gildo: The Last Dance	Writer, Director, Producer
2021	Die Nachtigall – Der grausame Sohn	Director, Producer
2020	Operndiven - Operntunten	Director
2019	Darkroom	Director, Screenplay, Producer
2018	Friendship of Men	Director, Writer, Producer
2017	Survival in Berlin-Neukölln	Director, Writer
2017	ACT! Wer bin ich?	Director
2015	Tough Love	Director, Writer, Producer
2015	Praunheim Memoires	Writer, Producer, Director
2014	Hitler und Jesus – eine Liebesgeschichte	Director
2014	Auf der Suche nach Heilern	Writer, Director
2014	Mario Wirz	Director
2014	Laura – Das Juwel von Stuttgart	Director
2012	Rosas Welt – 70 neue Filme von Rosa von Praunheim	Writer, Producer, Director
2012	I am a Poem	Producer
2012	Axel und Peter - Titten für Arsch	Director, Writer, Producer
2012	Germans Taste the Best	Director
2012	King of Comics	Director, Writer, Producer
2011	Rent Boys	Director, Writer, Producer
2010	20 × Brandenburg	Director
2010	New York Memories	Director, Writer
2009	History of Hell	Director
2009	24 Hours Berlin	Director
2008	Can I Be Your Bratwurst, Please?	Director, Screenplay
2008	Dead Gay Men and Living Lesbians	Director
2008	Der Rosa Riese	Director
2007	Six Dead Students	Screenplay, Director
2007	Two Mothers	Director, Writer
2007	Mit Olga auf der Wolga	Director
2005	Your Heart in My Head	Director, Screenplay, Producer
2005	Men, Heroes and Gay Nazis	Director, Writer, Producer
2005	Who is Helene Schwarz?	Writer, Director
2005	Schwein gehabt – Joe Luga	Director, Writer
2005	Liebe und Leid – Albrecht Becker	Director, Writer
2005	Umsonst Gelebt: Walter Schwarze	Director, Writer
2003	Charlotte in Sweden	Director
2003	Ratten 07 – Im Berliner Dschungel	Director
2002	Pfui, Rosa!	Director
2002	Cows Knocked Up by Fog	Screenplay, Director
2002	Queens Don’t Cry	Screenplay, Producer, Director
2000	Fassbinder's Women	Director
2000	Wonderful Wrodow	Director
2000	The Einstein of Sex: Life and Work of Dr. M. Hirschfeld	Director, Producer
1998	Gay Courage: 100 Years of the Gay Movement	Director
1996	Transexual Menace	Director, Writer
1995	Neurosia: Fifty Years of Perversity	Director, Writer, Producer
1994	Meine Oma hatte einen Nazipuff	Director, Writer
1992	I Am My Own Woman	Screenplay, Director, Producer
1991	Proud and Gay	Director
1991	Ein Mann namens Pis	Director, Producer
1990	Life Is Like a Cucumber	Director, Writer, Producer
1990	Fire Under Your Ass	Director, Writer, Producer
1990	Positive	Director, Writer, Producer
1990	Silence = Death	Director, Writer
1990	Die Weisheit	Director
1989	Survival in New York	Director, Writer
1988	Anita – Dances of Vice	Writer, Director, Producer
1987	Dolly, Lotte and Maria	Director, Writer, Producer
1986	A Virus Knows No Morals	Producer, Writer, Director
1984	Horror Vacui	Director, Writer
1983	Red Love	Writer, Director
1983	City of Lost Souls	Writer, Director
1981	Our Corpses Are Still Alive	Director
1979	Death Magazine: or How to Be a Flowerpot	Director, Writer, Producer
1979	Der 24. Stock	Director
1979	Tally Brown, New York	Writer, Producer, Director
1979	Army of Lovers or Revolt of the Perverts	Writer, Producer, Director
1977	George and Mike Kuchar	Director
1977	Sigrid Gräfin von Richthofen	Director
1976	I’m an Antistar	Director
1976	Underground and Emigrants	Producer, Writer, Director
1976	Marianne Rosenberg	Director
1975	Berliner Bettwurst	Director, Writer, Producer
1974	Axel von Auersperg	Director, Producer, Writer
1974	Rosa von Praunheim zeigt	Director
1974	Monolog eines Stars	Director, Writer
1972	Was die Rechte nicht sieht, kommt erst recht aus dem Ohr heraus	Producer, Director, Writer
1972	Grotesk – Burlesk – Pittoresk	Director, Writer
1972	Passions	Director
1971	The Bed Sausage	Director, Writer, Producer
1971	It Is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse, But the Society in Which He Lives	Director, Writer
1971	Homosexuelle in New York	Director
1971	Macbeth Oper von Rosa von Praunheim	Director, Writer
1969	Sisters of Revolution	Director
1969	Rosa Arbeiter auf goldener Straße – 2. Teil	Director
1969	Beckett in Berlin	Director
1968	Rosa Arbeiter auf goldener Straße – 1. Teil	Director
1968	Von Rosa von Praunheim	Director

Data from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.