Karl Kürten is a director of photography based in Cologne, Germany. He trained at HFF München and is represented by Agentur Schlag.

His feature film On Falling (dir. Laura Carreira, 2024) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to screen at over 30 festivals worldwide. The film won the Sutherland Award at the 68th BFI London Film Festival, the Silver Shell for Best Director at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival, Best Film at the Dublin International Film Festival, and the Discovery Award (Prix FIPRESCI) at the European Film Awards 2026. It received four nominations at the British Independent Film Awards and was nominated for Best European Film at the Goya Awards 2026. In 2026, Karl was admitted as a member of the European Film Academy.

His collaboration with Laura Carreira began with short films including The Shift (2020), which premiered in the Orizzonti section of the 77th Venice Film Festival.

In 2019, he received the Deutscher Kamerapreis (German Cinematography Award) for I Grew a Statue. His work has screened at international festivals including Cannes, Venice, and Hofer Filmtage. He served as director of photography on the Netflix series KITZ and Höllgrund.

AWARDS & SHORTLISTS