"My work as a documentary filmmaker is very personal and intimate in many ways and being able to pass those aspects onto the viewers in a discrete way is what I’d like to achieve."
Reiner Holzemer
ABOUT
Reiner Holzemer has been working as a documentary film director since 1983. The portraits of internationally renowned artists, especially from the fields of photography and fashion, are the focus of his work to date.
His film DRIES about fashion designer Dries Van Noten, and MARTIN MARGIELA – IN HIS OWN WORDS have been screened at film festivals worldwide and sold in more than 70 countries. In 2020, the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER voted Reiner Holzemer's film about Martin Margiela the best fashion documentary of the decade.
In recent years, Holzemer has further expanded his portrait work, with films on the actor Lars Eidinger, avant-garde fashion designer Thom Browne, and Akris, the Swiss fashion house known for its luxury craftsmanship.
In 2025, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) and ACHTUNG fashion magazine ranked Reiner Holzemer 15th among the 50 most influential Germans in fashion.
In March 2026, Reiner Holzemer was honored with a retrospective at the 10th edition of the Moritz Feed Doc Festival in Barcelona, where six of his films were showcased. He has recently completed a new documentary exploring the cultural significance of the Leica camera and its lasting impact on visual history.
PRESS
SHORT CV
1958 Born in Gemünden, Germany.
1976 Studies drama and social sciences in Erlangen.
1980 Foundation of a group of independent filmmakers. Self-taught training as author, director, cameraman and editor of documentary films.
1983 Foundation of the Reiner Holzemer Film.
Until today, more than 35 documentary films and artist portraits have been produced, about e.g. William Eggleston, Juergen Teller, August Sander, Walker Evans, René Burri, Magnum Photos, Dries Van Noten, Martin Margiela and Lars Eidinger.
1985 Teaching in the field of film.
Since 1985 regular participation at international documentary film festivals, e.g. the Berlinale, CPH:Dox and DOC NYC. Reiner Holzemer's documentaries have also been screened at renowned museums worldwide such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney, Art Institute Chicago and Haus der Kunst.
1999 Warded the city of Nuremberg´s Culture Grant.
2021
MARTIN MARGIELA – IN HIS OWN WORDS is nominated for the German Documentary Film Award.
MARTIN MARGIELA SE RACONTE is nominated for the Belgian Grand Prix du Film sur l'Art.
2023
LARS EIDINGER - TO BE OR NOT TO BE is awarded the Gilde Film Award for "Best Documentary 2023".
2024
THOM BROWNE – THE MAN WHO TAILORS DREAMS premieres at Doc NYC 2024.
2025
AKRIS - FASHION WITH A HERITAGE premieres at Tribeca X 2025 on June 9th, 2025.
In November 2025, the documentary received the Festival Award for "Outstanding Fashion Documentary" at the Newport Beach Film Festival.
Since 1993 RH directed more than 350 commercials worldwide.
Reiner Holzemer is a member of the German Film Academy and the German Society for Photography (DGPh). He lives in Munich, Germany.
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RH Filmography (selection)
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WEB
PRESS
El Periódico
March 19, 2026
Reiner Holzemer, el hombre que filmó a Margiela sin mostrar su rostro, llega a Barcelona
El cineasta alemán, figura central del Moritz Feed Doc, el festival de documental de moda que se celebra en Barcelona, protagoniza una retrospectiva que recorre sus retratos íntimos: Dries Van Noten, Thom Browne, Akris, William Eggleston, Juergen Teller y, sobre todo, el del creador más huidizo de la industria
Achtung Mode
January 2, 2026
Made in Germany: Reiner Holzemer
Just as much an enigma as the enigma ee’s got talking. documentary film maker Reiner Holzemer from Munich broke into the fashion world with his Dries Van Noten and Martin Margiela film and many have followed since including Akris. We talk to him about his art of convincing.
Hero Magazine
April 15, 2020
Reiner Holzemer discusses his landmark documentary on elusive fashion icon Martin Margiela
In 2017, Reiner Holzemer earned critical acclaim with a thoughtful, comprehensive documentary charting the life and work of Belgian designer Dries Van Noten. Buoyed by success, he set about looking for a new protagonist. Holzemer’s search took him to Antwerp’s ModeMuseum, where he first discovered the work of fellow Belgian iconoclast Martin Margiela – who also happens to be the most elusive designer in the industry, if not the world.
The Hollywood Reporter
December 19, 2019
The 10 Best Fashion Documentaries of the Decade
1. "Martin Margiela - In His Own Words" With thriller-like intensity — powered by smart commentary, fantastically cut archive footage and a hypnotic soundtrack from the Belgian band, Deus — director Reiner Holzemer unravels Margiela’s refusal to be the public spokesperson of his sought-after fashion brand
