Heinz Badewitz is head of the section German Cinema since 1977.
Badewitz was born in Hof, Bavaria in 1941. After his training as an engineering draughtsman he turned to film and cinema. In 1963 he moved to Munich, where he gained practical experience in a printing laboratory of the Bavaria-Atelier GmbH. He then studied at the German Film and Television Institute (DIFF), which later became the Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen München. For two terms he also studied political science.
From 1955 Heinz Badewitz first worked as a camera assistant and then as a cameraman for animated films for Wolfgang Urchs, a director of commercials and animated films.
Afterwards, he directed short films which were shown at several film festivals, among them Oberhausen and Montreal.
Along with other film-makers Heinz Badewitz founded the Hofer Filmtage in 1967. Since then he has been director of this event, which has established as one of the most acclaimed German film festivals with its own distinct traditions.
Apart from his activities as a festival director, Heinz Badewitz has worked as a director's assistant and production manager for numerous German film productions from the early 70s.
One of his main concerns has been the distribution of New German Films, both in Germany and abroad, e. g. for several years he has worked for the distributor Filmverlag der Autoren. He has been promoting New German Films in Cannes since 1970.
In 1977 Heinz Badewitz was appointed head of the Berlin International Film Festival section German Cinema.
