Fabian Stumm

Fabian Stumm (born in 1981) is a German actor and director who studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City.^[1][2]

He played a leading role in the 2013 mystery thriller Bela Kiss: Prologue [de] by Lucien Förstner, and appeared in the award-winning Second World War drama Lore by Australian director Cate Shortland. His other credits include Posthumous with Brit Marling and Jack Huston; 56, which was nominated for the prestigious Max Ophüls Award; and the David Foster Wallace adaptation Neon Aura.^[3]

In 2009 he joined artist Keren Cytter's performance company D.I.E NOW on their international tour. His next collaboration with Cytter, the two-hander Show Real Drama, met with great success, the Houston Chronicle calling it "intriguing (...) Susie Meyer and Fabian Stumm bring humor, angst, and yes – real drama."^[4] The production was invited all around the world from London, Rome and New York City to Shanghai, Beijing and Seoul.^[5][6][4]

Stumm wrote and directed his medium-length film debut, Daniel, which was released in 2021. The film was awarded the prize of "Best Medium-Length Film" at the Achtung Berlin Filmfestival in 2022.^[7]

His feature directorial debut, Bones and Names (Knochen und Namen), premiered at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival,^[8] where it was awarded the Heiner Carow Prize.^[2]

His second feature film, Sad Jokes, premiered at the 2024 Filmfest München,^[9] where Stumm won the award for Best Director in the German Cinema New Talent program.^[10]

He is out as gay.^[11]