Between lecture hall and silver screen: Biology student Tasja Hauk balances studies with the movie business

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When Tasja Hauk talks about the Cannes Film Festival, it sounds like a feat of athletic endurance. The LMU student amasses 20,000 to 30,000 steps per day during that period. Her alarm clock rings at 6:30, the cinema tickets go on sale at 7:00, the first panel is at 8:00, and then there is one meeting after another. In the evening, it’s back to the hotel for a brief respite, then it’s high-heels on, tiredness off: red carpet, social media, parties, networking, falling into bed at three in the morning, for ten days, over and over. “You have to give 200 percent in this industry,” says Hauk.

Alongside her biology studies, the 32-year-old works as an actor, singer, and producer in Munich. This year, she completed her first animation short “Breath of Life” with her production company Wintersgate Entertainment, for which she not only wrote the screenplay, but also composed the music, directed, and worked on the editing. She is currently working on her first feature film: a book adaptation about a Syrian refugee who wants to be known in Germany for his music – and not for his flight story. On top of this, Hauk has a student trainee job, is writing her bachelor’s thesis, and looks after two dogs together with her husband. “Sometimes we’re on the verge of madness,” she says. “But I’m not a quitter.” The LMU student wants to make it in the film and entertainment industry, no matter how much work this means and how hard the path is. After all, it is her childhood dream.

At five years old, Hauk writes in a friendship book that she wants to be an actor. At seven, she reads Shakespeare for the first time. At ten, she starts singing in the chorus of the Bavarian State Opera. Then at 25, she has roles in TV productions such as “Sturm der Liebe” and “Aktenzeichen XY.” Later she has a brief appearance in “Girl You Know It’s True,” Simon Verhoeven’s movie about the pop duo Milli Vanilli. “I realized that I just love the work.” So she writes pitch decks at night, thinks about forensic anthropology during the day, and on the side applies for accreditations at the Cannes Film Festival or the Berlinale.

Inspired by her studies

“A lot of what I’ve learned at LMU crops up in my art as well,” says Hauk. For example, she is currently working on a spin-off of her sci-fi fantasy series “Darkness & Fire,” which is about how our world has changed over time, how humans are slowly destroying it. One of the inspirations is the course “Historical Environmental Research” taught by LMU Professor Dr. Gisela Grupe. “How she explained what we’re actually doing to our planet – that made a deep impression. More people should be aware of it,” reckons Hauk. This is why she produces films, writes books, and composes music: “I believe we can change a tremendous amount in this world through art,” says the LMU student. Of course there are other ways, such as innovation, research, and politics. But films and music, according to Hauk, have a completely different kind of access. “They can connect people in powerful ways and change them from the inside out.”

Two years ago, Hauk experienced her first Berlinale as a filmmaker. She recalls how exciting it all was, her delight when she received her accreditation, and how sobering it was to be actually there on site. For days, Hauk had thought about how she would walk up to the Netflix or the Amazon Prime booth, how she would present herself, what she would say and how, and how she would pitch her ideas. “I was totally naïve,” says Hauk today. “There is no Netflix stand at the Berlinale. The important people walk around incognito. The chance of coming into contact with them as a newbie is approximately zero.”

This was one of the reasons why Hauk launched her own production company last year. “Having seen how insanely difficult it is to get anything started in this industry, I thought to myself: All right, then I’ll do it myself,” she explains. She brings actors and co-producers on board, looks after funding, writes applications. Having one’s own production company certainly provides more credibility in the film sector, but for Hauk it means even more work, even more sacrifice, even less sleep. How does she bear it? “The highs,” replies Hauk. For example, when she is back at Cannes on a panel or networking in a group of strangers, and when she observes, despite all the doubt and uncertainty: “I’ve earned my place just as much as all the others. I belong here.”

Then there is the women’s organization “Yes She Cannes,” in which Hauk now serves as creative director – that, too, gives her strength. When she started there, she was one of just 20 women. Now, in her third year, there are over 100. Moreover, a small text about each of them was published this year in the Hollywood Reporter, one of the most influential trade magazines in the US film industry. “Tasja Cathrin Rosé” – Hauk’s stage name – it says, “builds international partnerships across film and music.”

“You dream of things like this,” says Hauk about the mention. These moments make the struggle worthwhile. There is another high, as Hauk explains: Every time she stands on the stage or in front of the camera, she feels how her heart begins to beat faster, how it almost races. At such times, it feels as if she is falling in love. As if she belongs there and nowhere else. “I’ll keep going until I’m where I want to be,” says the LMU student. And who would doubt her?

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