VITA

David-Simon Groß

 

David-Simon Groß (*1994, in St. Wendel, Saarland) studied cinematography at the Konrad Wolf Film University Babelsberg between 2013 and 2022. Between his bachelor's and master's degrees, he worked as a trainee at the Goethe Institute Maputo, Mozambique, where he shot his first feature film, the hybrid film "Maputo Nakuzandza," with Brazilian director Ariadine Zampaulo, which was screened at FID Marseille, Festival do Rio, and FESPACO, among others. He then returned to Mozambique and South Africa to shoot his master's thesis film, the feature-length documentary THE HOMES WE CARRY (as co-writer, co-director, and cinematographer, directed by Brenda Akele Jorde).
The film premiered at DOK Leipzig in 2022 and has been screened at Films des Femmes (Créteil) and Hot Docs (Toronto), among others, and as part of educational events such as the "Education Weeks Against Racism" (Halle). Together with the film's co-director and Munich photographer Malte Wandel, he created video installations for his exhibitions about former GDR contract workers from Mozambique, including "Because We're Young" at the BLECH Raum für Kunst Halle eV.
In 2022, he was responsible for the cinematography of the feature-length documentary LITTLE SYRIA (premiered at CPH:DOX, directed by Reem Karssli), which explores 10 years of the Syrian revolution and the refugee and asylum story of the director and her family. In 2023/24, David held a temporary position as an artistic assistant for Professor Sophie Maintignieux in the Cinematography program at the Film University for one semester. In 2024, David received a material development grant from Saarland Medien GmbH for his documentary project SAO VENDELINO, which he shot in southern Brazil from April to May. The project is currently in post-production. With his partner Brenda Akele Jorde, David is currently founding the collective PEGA FOGO, in which the two produced the short documentary ENTRE NÓS EO SILÊNCIO, which they are currently finalizing.

David-Simon Groß works as a cinematographer, documentary filmmaker, colorist, and photographer, as well as a director on his own film projects. David volunteers on the board of the Mozambique Coordination Circle. He has lived in western Leipzig since October 2022.