Johanna Lietha, born in Zurich in 1986, studied filmmaking at the University of the Arts London (UAL) and pursued further training in drama directing, acting, screenwriting, dramaturgy, and documentary filmmaking.

She has trained with renowned tutors and mentors such as Susan Batson, Giles Foreman, Rob Marchand, Nicole Kellerhals, Katrin Merkel, Scandar Copti, and Maren Ade.
She is an alumna of the CineKid Script Lab, CineKid Director’s Lab, Diverse Stories, Babylon and focal’s LIM pre-writing workshop.
Johanna has worked as an assistant to acclaimed directors such as Jessica Hausner, Bernard Rose, and Antonin Svoboda, as well as with the actor Klaus Maria Brandauer.

Her debut feature film, Lovecut, premiered at the Max Ophüls Film Festival in 2020, where it won the award for Best Screenplay. The film went on to screen at numerous international festivals, including the Warsaw Film Festival, Les Arcs, BUFF Malmö, Kaohsiung, as well as to national festivals such as Diagonale and Solothurner Filmtage.

Currently, she is financing her second feature film, Heart Beats, a children’s and family film, while also developing Soul Songs, a story about end-of-life care.

She lives and works as a screenwriter, director, and dramaturge in Vienna, Zurich, and beyond.