Clara Stern was born in 1987 in
Vienna, Austria. She speaks fluent
German, English, French, and
basic Dutch. Clara studied Theatre,
Film, and Media Sciences (MA
degree) in Vienna and in Utrecht,
NL, and worked in theatres, for
television, and taught youth media
workshops. In 2009, Clara began
her studies at the Film Academy
Vienna with professors Michael
Haneke, Wolfgang Thaler and Götz
Spielmann. Clara holds a master’s
degree in Screenwriting and a
bachelor’s degree in Directing. Her
graduation short film MATHIAS won
the Austrian Academy Award in
2018 and travelled to international
film festivals. Her debut feature film
Breaking the Ice, about a female
ice hockey player in search for her
identity and place within her team
and family, premiered at Tribeca
Film Festival, NY, in 2022. The film
went on to win several awards, i.e.,
Best Screenwriting at Max Ophüls
Film Festival 2023. Clara was part
of the Berlinale Talent Campus and
the Zurich Film Festival Academy
in 2024. Since March 2024, next
to working on new projects, Clara
teaches Storytelling at the University
for Applied Arts Vienna.