Alexander Nanau is a German-Romanian filmmaker, director of the documentary Collective (2019).

Alexander’s documentary film, The world according to Ion B. (2009) premiered in Nyon at Visions du Réel and was awarded an International Emmy Award in 2010. His feature documentary film Toto and His Sisters (2014) premiered at the San Sebastian IFF and was a European Academy Award nominee 2015. Alexander served as Director of Photography for the French/German documentary Nothingwood (Sonia Kronlund) that was shot in Afghanistan and premiered in Cannes as part of La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in 2017.

His latest feature length documentary Collective (2019) premiered at the Venice IFF as part of the Official Selection – Out of Competition. It was also screened at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and in the Spotlight section of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Collective was named world-wide on all important top 10 lists of 2020 and became the first Romanian film to ever be nominated for an OSCAR.  It has won among many other awards the European Film Award for Best Documentary in 2020 and was also nominated for a BAFTA award in 2021. It became the second documentary in the history of the OSCARS to receive two nominations when it ran in the Best International Feature category as Romania’s Oscar entry and the Best Documentary category.

The film also won the LUX prize of the European Parliament in 2021. The award is voted on by European Citizens and the European Parliamentary Members. Alexander is teaching and mentoring in several intl. Film Universities and Filmlabs.