Maria Hofstätter

Maria Hofstätter, born 30 March 1964, is a lauded Austrian actress with over 30 film roles to her credit since the start of her career in 1993. Interestingly, Hofstätter's foray into acting was not a result of a conventional path through acting school but rather began when she took to the stage on a bet. Over her career, she has had the opportunity to work with distinguished directors such as Michael Glawogger, Paul Harather, Marc Rothemund, Harald Sicheritz and, notably, Ulrich Seidl. Among her many roles, Hofstätter played the hitchhiker in Seidl's debut arthouse film, *Dog Days* in 2001. Her standout performance was witnessed in 2012 when she assumed the main role of Anna-Maria in the controversial second part of Seidl's *Paradise trilogy*, *Paradise: Faith*. Her performance was praised for its intensity as *Screen Daily* remarked that she 'completely melts into the role, providing the backbone for the entire piece'. Aside from her film work, Hofstätter has appeared in television series such as *Braunschlag* by David Schalko and performed on stage as part of her theatre work. Her acting strengths have been recognized with prestigious awards such as the Diagonale acting prize in 2013, the Deutscher Schauspielpreis in 2021, and the Österreichischer Filmpreis in 2014 for her role in *Paradise: Faith*. Her role in *Fuchs im Bau* brought her a Romy and yet another Österreichischer Filmpreis.