Born in 1973, Germany, he studied fiction directing at the HFF Munich, where he won numerous awards for his short films, including the Max Ophüls Prize and the Shocking Shorts Award from Universal Studios.

　　In 2006, Buena Vista released "The Lives of Others", his first feature as writer and director. It won the German and European Film Awards and in 2007 the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

　　His next feature, “The Tourist”, starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, was released by Columbia Pictures in 2010. It was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards: Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress.

　　Florian is a member of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the Bavarian and Northrhine-Westphalian Orders of Merit. In 2013 he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He serves on the Board of the American Academy in Berlin, and on the International Council at MoMA in New York. 2015 saw the publication of “Kino!”, a book of Florian's writings on contemporary cinema. He is presently in production on a dramatic thriller about the development of Modern Art in Europe.