Marie Kreutzer (born 25 August 1977) is an Austrian film director and screenwriter. Most known for Corsage (2022).
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Early life and career
Kreutzer was born on 25 August 1977 in Graz, Styria, Austria. She is the daughter of the Styrian Green Party politician Ingrid Lechner-Sonnek.
Kreutzer studied at Vienna Film Academy with Walter Wippersberg and later worked as a lecturer at the Vienna Film Academy.
One of Kreutzer's most notable films Corsage focuses on themes of female rebellion in a historic setting, tackling contemporary female issues. She collaborated with her cinematographer Judith Kaufmann to convey her version of the story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
Her films have been screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, 70th San Sebastián International Film Festival, 2022 Cannes Film Festival, 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, and 2022 New York Film Festival.
Gentle Monster (2026) had its world premiere in the main competition of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or. The production won the Cannes Marché du Film Investors Circle Prize in 2025. Starring Léa Seydoux, it follows a wife who must face her husband horrific crimes.
Filmography
Personal life
Kreutzer is a feminist. She is married to production designer Martin Reiter, with whom she has a daughter.
In November 2023, Kreutzer signed a letter supporting the right of the state of Israel to exist and condemning the terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel on 7 October 2023.
Controversies
On 18 June 2022, Austrian film director Katharina Mückstein shared an Instagram Story that read: "Tonight a perpetrator will be on stage and will be applauded. And there is nothing we can do to counter that. It's devastating. I wish all those affected good nerves. #MeToo didn't even start in Austria". No name was given, but the only event of that kind taking place in Austria that night was the premiere of Kreutzer's Corsage in Vienna, which led to speculation that Mückstein was referring to someone who worked in that film. Mückstein later said that she could not name the man due to legal reasons. Mückstein's Instagram story inspired several women to share their own experiences with sexual harassment, sexism, racism, homophobia and abuses of power in the Austrian film and theatre community, which generated a lot of media attention and sparked a new wave of the MeToo movement in Austria.
Kreutzer told Austrian magazine Profil on 2 July 2022 that she learned about the rumors about one of the actors from Corsage "a long time ago" when the project was already underway, but as long as there are only rumors and no court-confirmed evidence, she will never remove or dismiss a staff member from the stage based on rumors, and if there are neither concrete allegations nor a procedure against someone, she would act as a judge if she reacted with consequences. She added; "There are neither concrete allegations nor those affected who have contacted authorities to articulate something concrete there. That's what makes the case so problematic. Even though I've worked very well with him and I like him, I can't put my hand on the fire for him. I do not check the reputation of my performers or my team. What lies in their past I cannot and do not want to research completely. I can only urge that official contact points be included and that all of this is not just carried out among colleagues and like-minded people. You have to take steps, not just talk about it behind closed doors. There were certainly reports about this man, but again they only came from people who were neither affected themselves nor had anything to testify directly. One should stick to the facts, because passing on rumors can seriously damage people; I appreciate Katharina Mückstein extremely for her attitude and her commitment to film politics, we are definitely on the same side. But I would definitely have chosen a different path."
On 13 January 2023, Corsage actor Florian Teichtmeister was charged with possession of child pornography following an investigation that started in 2021. On 15 January 2023, Kreutzer released a statement saying that she was "sad and angry that a feminist film that more than 300 people from all over Europe worked on for years may be tarnished and damaged by the horrific actions of one person". Kreutzer said she was informed of the rumors about Teichtmeister in Autumn 2021, after the filming for Corsage had wrapped, and when she inquired the actor about these rumors via email, he "convincingly assured us (and others) of their falsity", she said. Teichtmeister initially denied the allegations by claiming it was an act of revenge by his ex-girlfriend. The same day, Exxpress reported that another actor from Corsage had been accused of sexual assault by an anonymous insider of the film industry, and that Kreutzer had been informed of that case as well. "As with Teichtmeister, everything should be covered up with this actor so that the film project is not damaged. Again, many people know about the allegations, and again nobody is bringing it to the public", said the whistleblower who tipped off Exxpress about Teichtmeister in June 2022.