Marleen Valien is a Berlin based writer and director. Before studying directing at the Baden-Württemberg Film Academy, Marleen studied visual communication at the University of the Arts in Berlin. She took part in an art class with professor and artist Ai Weiwei. Her short films Not the 80s, Hot Dog and A Small Cut have won several awards and premiered at festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca and Clermont-Ferrand. Her stop-motion commercials for Oatly won her two gold medals at the Young Directors Award and another at Spotlight. She's also directed music videos for Milky Chance and Midnight Tracks, the latter of which won her a silver YDA and a UKMVA nomination. Her mockumentary with feminist arts group Who Needs Feminism Today? asks why so many billionaires "fly into space in rockets shaped like male genitalia" and seeks to restore gender equality to the cosmos. The film was shortlisted three times at the Cannes Lions, including the Glass Lion for Change. It was also featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Together with ZDF Kleines Fernsehspiel and Kurhaus Production, she is currently developing a feature film.