Biography
Mia Maariel Meyer was born on December 14, 1981, in Braunschweig. She studied at Goldsmiths, University of London, completing her Master of Arts in Filmmaking in 2009, while also taking part in various screenwriting seminars and training programs. Back in Germany, she directed several short films and worked in documentary and reportage. In 2012, she received the Grimme Online Award for the web format "140 Sekunden," which portrayed the people behind particularly successful or original tweets in short 140-second portraits.
Meyer made her feature debut in 2015 with the social drama "Treppe aufwärts" ("Up the Stairs"), about a small-time criminal determined to keep his teenage son from following in his footsteps. The lead role was played by Hanno Koffler, who later became her husband. The film received a special mention at the Hof International Film Festival.
After directing for television formats such as "Elektrischer Reporter" and "15 Minutes of Fame," Meyer completed her second feature in 2020. "Die Saat" ("The Seed") tells the story of a construction worker and father whose life begins to unravel after a professional setback. Co-written with Hanno Koffler, who also took the lead role, the film premiered in June 2021 at the Berlinale during the pandemic edition, opening the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section. It went on to screen at numerous festivals and was widely praised by critics.
Meyer then directed three episodes of the seven-part Netflix miniseries "Transatlantic" (UK/DE/FR, 2023), about resistance figures Varian Fry, Albert Hirschman, and Mary Jayne Gold. In 2024, she and Katja Benrath received the German Television Award for their direction of three episodes of the midwife drama "Push."
Her third feature, "22 Bahnen," based on Caroline Wahl's bestselling novel, was released in German cinemas in September 2025. The film portrays two sisters growing up under difficult circumstances with their alcoholic mother.