Valentina Himmelbauer

Valentina Himmelbauer was born on June 19, 1996, in Vienna and grew up as a Burgenland Croat in a small village in southeastern Austria. Fascinated by the world of film and theater from an early age, she graduated from a bilingual academic secondary school (Zweisprachiges Bundesgymnasium) in Oberwart and then pursued her acting training at the Vienna Filmacademy, which she completed in 2018. This was followed by the official Austrian state acting diploma (Paritätische Bühnenreifeprüfung), which she passed at the Kammerspiele Theater in Vienna.

She currently works as a freelance artist, primarily in the fields of acting, directing, and writing, with a particular focus on intersectional feminist projects. 

Key stages in her theatrical career include the Burgenland State Theater (Landestheater der Autor:innen), where she is active as an actress, assistant director, and director. She is also regularly involved with the inclusive Theater Delphin, contributing through acting, directing, and writing as well. In addition to that, she teaches character development as a lecturer in the inclusive acting program Yes! We act.

Recognition in the film industry followed with the selection of her work at various festivals – including the feature film Wenn die Heidelerche singt (When the Woodlark Sings) by Austrian director Ana Bilić, in which she played the female lead. In 2022, she made her own directorial debut with the short fiction film Misplaced, in which she also appeared on screen. Just one year later, she co-founded the artistic association vulpecula collective together with Myriam Angela and Tess Hermann. Their first collaborative project was the experimental short film Die Frage nach dem Fenster (Questioning the Window), in which she was involved as a producer, screenwriter, director, and actress.

Alongside her artistic work, she pursued her academic interest in history and completed a Bachelor's degree in History at the University of Vienna in 2021.