Prof. Robert Lehniger
Head of School, MetFilm School Berlin
Robert is a theatre director, filmmaker, educator and higher education leader working at the intersection of theatre, film and digital media. As Head of School at MetFilm School Berlin and Professor of Directing at BIMM University, he combines artistic practice with academic leadership, shaping innovative learning environments that connect creative education with the evolving screen and performing arts industries.
Over the past two decades, Robert has directed more than seventy productions for leading theatres, opera houses and international festivals across Germany, Austria and Switzerland, including the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Deutsches Theater Berlin, Burgtheater Wien, Schauspielhaus Zürich, Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, the Münchner Biennale and the European Film Awards. His artistic work spans theatre, film, opera, documentary, immersive media and transmedia storytelling, exploring new forms of audience engagement across stage, screen and digital environments.
Alongside his professional artistic practice, Robert has built an extensive academic career in higher education. Before joining MetFilm School, he served as Professor of Acting and Programme Leader at Cours Florent Berlin, where he established and co-led the international BA Acting programme. His teaching has also included appointments at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, the University of Fine Arts Dresden, the Otto Falckenberg School in Munich, Folkwang University of the Arts and other leading higher education institutions.
Robert is a member of the European Film Academy and serves as Artistic Director of the European Film Awards Show, shaping the artistic vision of the Berlin editions of Europe's most prestigious celebration of cinema. Across his work as a director, educator and academic leader, he is committed to connecting higher education with professional practice, artistic research with industry, and emerging creative talent with international opportunities for collaboration and innovation.
His research and teaching focuses on directing, acting, hybrid performance, immersive storytelling and the creative use of digital technologies. Across both his artistic and academic practice, he is committed to exploring how stories can be told when theatre, film and digital media converge, and how higher education can prepare the next generation of creative practitioners for an increasingly interdisciplinary and rapidly changing cultural landscape.
