Ursula Meier Bio: Age, Net Worth, Films, Cannes, Berlin Film Festival, Sister, Husband

Ursula Meier is a French-Swiss film director and screenwriter celebrated for her psychologically layered dramas that examine fractured families, societal fringes, and human resilience.

She first drew international attention with her feature debut Home (2008), starring Isabelle Huppert, which premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week.

Her subsequent works, including the Berlin Silver Bear winner Sister (2012) and The Line (2022), have solidified her reputation as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary European auteur cinema.

Profile

• Full Name: Ursula Meier
• Stage Name: Ursula Meier
• Born: June 24, 1971
• Age: 54 years old
• Birthplace: Besançon, France
• Nationality: French-Swiss
• Occupation: Film Director And Screenwriter
• Height: Unknown
• Parents: Unknown
• Siblings: 3
• Spouse: Unknown
• Children: Unknown
• Relationship: Private
• Net Worth: $3 million

Early Life and Education

Ursula Meier was born on June 24, 1971, in Besançon, France, close to the Swiss border, to a French mother and a German-Swiss father whose names are not publicly known. She grew up as the youngest of four children in a bilingual, bicultural household that frequently crossed between France and Switzerland.

Meier studied film directing at the prestigious Institut des Arts de Diffusion (IAD) in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, graduating in 1994. She later worked as assistant director to Alain Tanner on Fourbi (1996) and Jonas et Lila, à demain (1999), experiences that shaped her auteur approach.

Career

Ursula Meier began her career directing short films and documentaries in the late 1990s and early 2000s, earning early acclaim for Tous à table (2001) and Des épaules solides (2003). Her feature debut Home (2008), co-written with Antoine Jaccoud and starring Isabelle Huppert and Olivier Gourmet, premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week and received three Swiss Film Award nominations.

The film’s surreal premise—a family living beside an unused motorway that suddenly opens—established Meier’s signature blend of intimate realism and quiet absurdity.

Meier reached a new level with Sister (L’enfant d’en haut, 2012), which competed for the Golden Bear at Berlin and won the Special Jury Prize (Silver Bear). Starring Léa Seydoux and Kacey Mottet Klein, the film explored class disparity and sibling dependency through the story of a boy stealing from wealthy skiers to support his older sister.

It earned a Lux Prize nomination and widespread critical praise. She followed with the four-part television series Shock Wave (Ondes de choc, 2018) for Arte, examining the aftermath of violent crimes on survivors.

Meier co-founded the production company Bande à Part Films in Lausanne and continues to develop projects that probe emotional and social fault lines. Her third feature The Line (La Ligne, 2022), starring Stéphanie Blanchoud and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, premiered in Berlin competition and tackled domestic violence and sisterhood.

She frequently collaborates with Swiss and Belgian talent, teaches at ECAL in Lausanne, and serves on festival juries, maintaining a deliberate, auteur-driven pace that prioritizes depth over volume.

Social Media

• Instagram Handle: Unknown
• Facebook Handle: Ursula Meier
• Twitter Handle: Unknown

Personal Life

Ursula Meier maintains a low public profile regarding her private life, with no confirmed information about a spouse, partner, or children. She divides her time between Switzerland (primarily Lausanne) and France, staying close to her cross-border roots.

Meier is known for her discretion and dedication to craft over celebrity.

Filmography

• Tous à table (short, 2001)
• Des épaules solides (short, 2003)
• Home (2008)
• Sister (L’enfant d’en haut, 2012)
• Shock Wave – Journal de ma tête (TV film, 2018)
• The Line (La Ligne, 2022)

Net Worth

Ursula Meier has an estimated net worth of $3 million. She earns through directing and screenwriting fees, festival prizes, Swiss and European funding grants, and residuals from internationally distributed films.