Michael Dienes is to become the new Executive Director of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau Foundation on 1 November 2026. He will take over from Christiane von Wahlert, who has headed the foundation since 2019 and is due to retire at the end of 2026.

After working for various management consultancies, Dienes spent more than 20 years at the post-production company Omnimago, most recently as managing director. Thanks to his long-standing collaboration with the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau Foundation, he is already familiar with its remit and areas of work.

„I am very familiar with the Murnau Foundation and its remit thanks to many years of close collaboration,“ explains Dienes regarding his new role. He describes taking up the post as an honour and a pleasure, and announces that he will continue the work of Christiane von Wahlert.

Von Wahlert had held the position of chair since 2019. With regard to her successor, she emphasises that the foundation’s significant film collections and the dedicated team at Dienes are „in good hands“.

The Foundation’s Board of Trustees also welcomes the appointment. Its chairman, Helmut Poßmann, highlights in particular Dienes’s experience, personality and passion for film. He is convinced that Dienes will successfully carry on the Foundation’s important work whilst also setting new priorities.

With this change in leadership, the next phase in the work of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau Foundation – which is dedicated to the preservation, restoration and promotion of Germany’s film heritage – will begin on 1 November.