Biljana Garvanlieva was born in Skopje, Macedonia in 1973. After
studying dramaturgy in Skopje, in 1999 she received a grant from the German
Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to study theater and film at the Free
University of Berlin (Freien Universität Berlin). She currently lives and works
in Berlin as a freelance author and director of documentary films. In 2006 she
directed her first documentary for the TV network 3sat entitled MACEDONIAN
DREAM: A GIRL AND HER ACCORDION, which has won several awards, including the
Golden Lola German Short Film Award. In 2009 she followed up her previous
success with TOBACCO GIRL, which has received numerous awards for its
direction, including nomination for the German Short Film Award Golden Lola and
Juliane Bartel German Media Award. In 2010, Garvanlieva was awarded the Heart
of Sarajevo prize for Best Documentary at the 16th Sarajevo Film Festival, for
her documentary film THE SEAMSTRESSES.