Death: Filmmaker Hark Bohm dies at age 86

Hark Bohm, one of Germany’s most prominent and committed filmmakers, has died. The director, writer, producer, actor and university professor died on Friday at the age of 86 in Hamburg surrounded by his family. His daughter told the German Press Agency.

Bohm wrote the history of cinema mainly thanks to such socially critical future productions as “Nordsee ist Mordsee” (1976), “Moritz, Dear Moritz” (1978) and “Yasemin” (1988), for which he received the Federal Film Award in Gold. Together with his student Fatih Akin – now a successful director – he wrote the script for the internationally successful NSU drama “Out of Nothing” with Diane Kruger.

Filmmaker until almost the end

In 2025, the recently reclusive artist again caused a sensation when Akin’s film “Amrum”, based on Bohm’s autobiographical novel of the same name, celebrated its acclaimed world premiere at the International Film Festival in Cannes, France – again with Hollywood star Kruger in the cast.

Bohm was born in Hamburg on 18 May 1939, the son of a senior senator and a descendant of farmers and captains. He also left a strong influence on film politics. In 1971, this left-liberal lawyer co-initiated the “Author’s Film Publishing House” in Munich. He was also one of the founders of the Hamburg Film Office and the Hamburg Film Festival (both in 1979). In 1992, Bohm and theater figure Jürgen Flimm launched film studies at the University of Hamburg.

This weathered-faced man is also remembered as a striking actor in minor and supporting roles. He worked several times with legendary director Rainer Werner Fassbinder (“The Marriage of Maria Braun”, 1978). Also in Bernhard Wicki’s Joseph Roth adaptation, “The Spider’s Web” (1989) and in Helmut Dietl’s Hitler diary farce, “Schtonk!” (1992) You see it. With his wife, producer Natalia Bowakow, the enthusiastic Bohm father had four adopted children – including actor Uwe Bohm (1962-2022) – as well as two adopted children.