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Euan Kerr
St. Paul, Minn.

First-time director changes his homeland -- and gets an Oscar nomination

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"The Lives of Others"
Ulrich Muhe stars in "The Lives of Others," a drama about how the Stasi, the East German secret police, begin watching a popular playwright in 1984. The film is a nominee for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

His film, "The Lives of Others," is the first drama to delve into the way the Stasi, the East German police, spied on ordinary citizens during communism.

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
First-time director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck has created a huge stir with his film "The Lives of Others."
MPR Photo/Euan Kerr

The film has been hugely successful in Germany, and is receiving acclaim from U.S. critics. It opens in the Twin Cities this weekend.

Von Donnersmarck is in the U.S. to attend the Oscar ceremony, where "Lives of Others" is up for Best Foreign Language award.

Von Donnersmarck told MPR's Euan Kerr his film resonates with people because it's about invasion of privacy.

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"The Lives of Others"
Ulrich Muhe stars in "The Lives of Others," a drama about how the Stasi, the East German secret police, begin watching a popular playwright in 1984. The film is a nominee for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics