Pia Marais

Grew up in South Africa, Sweden and Spain. She studied sculpture and photography at art academies in London, Amsterdam and finally the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf before going on to study film at the Deutsche Film und Fernseh Akademie (Dffb) in Berlin.

She made several shorts, including Loop (1996), Deranged (1998), Tricky People (1999), and 17 (2003), and after several engagements in film business as a casting director and assistant director, made her feature debut with The Unpolished, which has screened at many international film festivals and has won various prizes, including Tiger Award in 2007 in Rotterdam. (The Match Factory)