Johannes Praus was born in May 1983 in Dresden in the former GDR. He works as a Director of Photography / Cinematographer for Documentary and Fiction Films, and is a member of the German Society of Cinematographers BVK. He also works as a freelance Photographer. Lives and works in Dresden and Berlin. Johannes is Anuuk's father.

 

[...] In search for the traces of life, the everlasting surge, that mark us, we stride over huge mountains and through deep valleys. Only to make that visible justifies my existence. [...]

 

 

 

During his studies of cinematography at the Film University Babelsberg ’KONRAD WOLF’, Johannes Praus began receiving prizes and nominations for his work. Among other accolades, he was awarded the Kodak Cinematography Award, while three of his films were selected for the CamerImage Film Festival Bydgoszcz.

 

He received a diploma with honours in 2013 with his theoretical thesis ’NO RELATIONSHIP IS IMPOSSIBLE’ (‘KEINE BEZIEHUNG IST UNMÖGLICH‘). His graduating film ’BEYOND WRIEZEN’ (‘NACH WRIEZEN’) won the German Grimme-Prize in 2015. From April 2013 to March 2015 he studied as a part of the postgraduate “Meisterschüler” program with Prof. Peter Badel at the Film University Babelsberg.

 

His feature fiction debut ‘ANYWHERE ELSE’ (‘ANDERSWO’) won the Dialogue en Perspective prize at the Berlinale and the Independent Camera Award at the Int’l Film Festival Karlovy Vary. Further, his documentary work has received numerous accolades, not least ‘TRANSIT HAVANA’ was nominated to the competition at the DOK.fest Munich and the Int’l Film Festival Karlovy Vary and ‘YOU WERE MY LIFE’ (‘DU WARST MEIN LEBEN’) won the Grimme-Prize in 2018 and was nominated for IMAGO – Int’l Award for Cinematography in 2019.

 

In 2020 he was is nominated for the German Camera Award (Deutscher Kamerapreis) with his work on ‘DRUCK’. A second time in a row he was noiminated for the German Camera Award (Deutscher Kamerapreis) in 2021, this time with his work on 'HÜTER DER ERDE - HIRTEN IN KIRGISTANS HIMMELSGEBIRGE'.

 

Beside his cinematic work, Johannes is a freelance Photographer, presenting at a number of solo and group exhibits. In 2018 he published his first photo book ‘SHOULDERED INSTANTS OF A REALITY’ (‘MITGEBRACHTE AUGENBLICKE EINER WIRKLICHKEIT’), followed in 2023 by the second photo book ‘BEINGSFORGOTTEN’ (‘AMVERGESSENE’).

 

Since 2019 he has also been a freelance lecturer.

Cinema - DOCUMENTARY FILM

DER SCHÖNSTE ARBEITSPLATZ DER WELT (Postproduction, director: Daniel Abma)

LISTEN TO THE WORLD (Production, director: Yelizaveta Smit)

HIRTEN - HÜTER DER ERDE (2023, director: Mark Michel)

WO WORTE NICHT HINREICHEN (2016, director: Josefine Links)

TRANSIT HAVANA (2016, director: Daniel Abma)

NACH WRIEZEN (2012, director: Daniel Abma)

AG GEIGE - EIN AMATEURFILM (2012, director: Carsten Gebhard)

ROADCREW (2011, director: Olaf Held)

CINEMA - FEATURE FICTION

ANDERSWO (2014, Director: Ester Amrami)

TV - FEATURE FICTION

WIR, Season 1, Episodes 9-12 (2021, director: Chris Miera)

DRUCK, Season 7, Episodes 67-70 (2021, director: Chris Miera)

DRUCK, Season 3, Episodes 28-30 (2019, director: Chris Miera)

TV - DOCUMENTARY FILM

Die Recyclinglüge (2022, director: Tom Costello & Benedict Wermter)

DIE ECKE (2022, director: Christa Pfafferott)

HÜTER DER ERDE, Episodes 3-5 (2021, director: Mark Michel)

DU WARST MEIN LEBEN (2017, director: Rosa Hannah Ziegler)

GESCHICHTE MITTELDEUTSCHLANDS, Episodes 94-97 (2017, director: severel)

DEUTSCHLAND SCHLAGERLAND (2017, director: Arne Birkenstock)

WO WORTE NICHT HINREICHEN (2016, director: Josefine Links)

TRANSIT HAVANA (2016, director: Daniel Abma)

DER LETZTE REMIX (2015, director: Olaf Held)

VORWÄRTSGANG (2014, director: Daniel Abma)

NACH WRIEZEN (2012, director: Daniel Abma)

AG GEIGE - EIN AMATEURFILM (2012, director: Carsten Gebhard)

TOTEN HOSEN – DIE WOHNZIMMER-JUBILÄUMSTOUR (2012, director: Olaf Held)

ROADCREW (2011, director: Olaf Held)

SHORT, MUSIC VIDEO, INSTALLATION

S (POSTPRODUCTION, DIRECTOR: Max Chrambach)

Dieser lange Atem, Beates Laden betreffend (2023, DIRECTOR: OLAF HELD)

What do people do all day, Episode 4 (2022, DIRECTOR: Simon Dybbroe Møller)

What do people do all day, Episodes 1-3 (2020, DIRECTOR: Simon Dybbroe Møller)

Tristan Brusch – ICH LASS DICH NIE LOS (2018, DIRECTOR: Lewis Llyod)

Tristan Brusch – Hier kommt euer bester Freund (2018, DIRECTOR: Tristan Brusch)

Simply Devil (2018, DIRECTOR: J. Kürschner & F. Müller)

Freedom of Movement (2017, DIRECTOR: N. Fischer & M. El Sani)

Schlicht und Ergreifend (2012, DIRECTOR: Karl Hagen-Stötzer)

B-Day (2012, DIRECTOR: Olaf Held)

Herzberg (2012, DIRECTOR: David C. Bunners)

SWAN (2012, DIRECTOR: Henrike Naumann)

Opfer (2011, DIRECTOR: Johannes Leistner)

Roulette Prohlisienne (2011, DIRECTOR: Bernd Kilian)

Der Abschied (2010, DIRECTOR: Bernd Kilian)

AUS DEM MEER (2010, director: Felix Harmuth)

ARMENISCHE FRAGMENTE (2009, director: Holger Wendland)

Ein Toilettenwestern (2008, DIRECTOR: Heiner Heinke, Johannes Praus)

COMMERCIAL

WELLA - FRISEURE BEWEGEN III (2015, director: Ole Wiedemann)

BERLINER MODESALON (2015, director: Ole Wiedemann)

WELLA - FRISEURE BEWEGEN II (2015, director: Ole Wiedemann)

Cinematography Awards

2021: German Camera Award (Deutscher Kamerapreis) – Documentary (nominated) – Hüter der Erde

2020: German Camera Award (Deutscher Kamerapreis) – TVFilm/Series (nominated) – Druck

2019: IMAGO Int'l Award for Cinematography – Doc Germany (nominated - longlist) – Du warst mein Leben

2014: Camerimage - European Panorama (selected) – Anderswo

2012: Camerimage – Students Etudes Panorama (selected) – B-Day

2011: Camerimage – Students Etudes Competition - Golden Tadpole (nominated) - Opfer

2011: Kodak Film School Cinematography Competition – EAMER (won) - Opfer

2010: Golden Eye – Int. Filmfestival of Cameramen (nominated) – Aus dem Meer, Ein Toilettenwestern

Film awards (Selection)

2022: Grimme-Prize (nominated) – WIR

2020: German Television Award (Deutscher Fernsehpreis) – Best Series (nominated) – Druck

2018: Grimme-Prize (won) – Du warst mein Leben

2016: Karlovy Vary Int'l Film Festival – Doc.Comp. (nominated) – Transit Havana

2016: DOK.fest München – Int.Comp. (nominated) - Transit Havana

2015: Grimme-Prize (won) – nach Wriezen

2014: Karlovy Vary Int'l Film Fest – Independent Camera Award (won) – Anderswo

2014: 64.Berlinale – Dialogue en Perspective (won) – Anderswo

2013: Murnau-Kurzfilmpreis (won) – B-Day

2012: Int'l Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam – Students Competition (nominated) – nach Wriezen

2012: DOK Leipzig – National Competition - Golden Pigeon (nominated) – nach Wriezen

Scholarships

2021: VG Bild-Kunst (VG Bild-Kunst) – Körpersprache im Bild

2020: Arts Council of the federal state of saxony (Kulturstiftung des Frst. Sachsen) – Helga & Helga

2013: DAAD/German academic exchange program (DAAD/Deutscher Akad. Austauschdienst) – Transit Havana

solo exhibits

2023: AMVERGESSENE, Galerie Alte Feuerwache Loschwitz, Dresden

2022: Mitgebrachte Augenblicke einer Wirklichkeit, Lesezeichen, Dresden

2019: Mitgebrachte Augenblicke einer Wirklichkeit, Magic Mountain, Berlin

2018: Mitgebrachte Augenblicke einer Wirklichkeit, Karl-Liebknecht-Haus, Berlin

2018: Mitgebrachte Augenblicke einer Wirklichkeit, Galerie Made in Wedding, Berlin

2018: Mitgebrachte Augenblicke einer Wirklichkeit, Galerie Alte Feuerwache Loschwitz, Dresden

2013: mining and smelting the or, Zimmertheater, Rottweil

2011: Mensch-India, Ladencafé Aha, Dresden

2011: Mensch-India, Internationales Begegnungszentrum, Dresden

group exhibitions

2012: Realität der Arbeit, Photokina, Köln

2011: mining and smelting the or, int. zeitgenössische Kunstausstellung, Nürnberg

2010: Mariusz von der Achterbahn, int. zeitgenössische Kunstausstellung, Krakau

2008: Kulturerbe: Bewahren!Pflegen!, Dreikönigskirche, Dresden (co. Evelyn Richter)

2008: Kulturerbe: Bewahren!Pflegen!, Weinbergkirche Pillnitz, Dresden (co. Evelyn Richter)