About Frank Papenbroock
Born 1963. Frank Papenbroock is a German film director, documentary filmmaker, manufacturer and director.
Frank Papenbroock (; born 1963) is a German documentary filmmaker, film director and author. His documentary films cover a variety of topics in areas such as culture & arts, history, science, religion or reportage.
Career Papenbroock started his professional career as assistant photographer to renowned German photographer Christian von Alvensleben and acclaimed New York photographer and later commercial director Michael Somoroff. For a brief period Papenbroock himself worked as a photographer and then moved to New York City, to study film at the Tisch School of the Arts (New York University). At the same time he managed a commercial production studio in Manhattan, later becoming freelance camera assistant to top D.O.P.s like Howard Atherton, Allen Daviau, Ernest Day, Robert Fraisse or Geoffrey Wharton and then eventually began his own work as director/cameraman.
In the early 1990s he returned to his hometown Hamburg and soon began working as a documentary filmmaker and specialist for contemporary literature, for the cultural broadcast division of the NDR, shooting 18 episodes about leading authors like Paul Auster or Joseph Heller for the preeminent literary program "Bücherjournal" ("Book Journal").
From 1994 onwards, he has been partner and creative managing director of blm Filmproduction, shooting numerous commercials, corporate films, "special format" films (i.e. multi-screen pictures and 360°-dome-films) as well as music videos.
In 2006 his German/French documentary "Genesis vs. Darwin" ("Von Göttern und Designern") about creationism in Europe, caused a public uproar which eventually led to the resignation of then cultural minister Karin Wolf. The insights of the investigative film became part of the protocol of the European parliament's report on creationism in 2007
Author Papenbroock is a renowned author for TV-documentary programs like "Terra X", "Hitec" or "Menschen hautnah".
Commercials Papenbroock's career includes hundreds of commercials for major European companies like: Autostadt, Beiersdorf, Deutsche Bahn, Nestlé or Tchibo,
Documentaries (selected) English Title German Title Year Made For Advertising in Germany Wie man Fischen Fahrräder verkauft 1996 TV Foster Child Andreas Dem Hungertod entkommen - Pflegekind Andreas 2005 TV Getting Rid Of Our E-Waste Computerschrott (Frontal 21) 2005 TV Genesis vs. Darwin Von Göttern und Designern 2006 TV The Devils Name Is "Darwin" Der Teufel heißt Darwin 2007 TV Gilgamesh - The Phantom of Uruk Gilgamesch - Das Phantom von Uruk 2007 TV A Lost Life Verloren im Leben 2008 TV How Food Upsets Our Genes Wenn Essen auf die Gene schlägt 2009 TV Dangerous Meals Gefährliche Mahlzeiten 2009 TV Mit der Bibel zu Abitur 2009 TV Homer's Last Secret Der Fall Troia - Homers letztes Geheimnis 2010 TV Mobiglobe 2.0 Mobiglobe 2.0 2010 Cinema (on six 360°-screens) Blind. So what? Blind. Na und? 2012 TV First Aid for the Soul Erste Hilfe für die Seele 2013 TV A Summer's Orchestra Orchester für einen Sommer 2015 TV
Music videos Papenbroock also has directed several music videos, for artists like Mark Wahlberg, Vangelis, Sarah Brightman.
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Important facts
People in Frank Papenbroock's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Frank Papenbroock's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Frank Papenbroock?
filmmaker
When was Frank Papenbroock born?
Frank Papenbroock was born in 1963 in Hamburg.
What is Frank Papenbroock's occupation?
Frank Papenbroock is a film director, documentary filmmaker, manufacturer and director.
What nationality is Frank Papenbroock?
Frank Papenbroock is German.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Frank Papenbroock
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Frank Papenbroock. https://biography.guide/frank-papenbroock/
MLA: "Frank Papenbroock." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/frank-papenbroock/.
Chicago: "Frank Papenbroock." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/frank-papenbroock/.
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