Simon Maria Kubiena, born in Vienna in 1998 was introduced to filmmaking through acting, both at the Burgtheater in Vienna and in Austrian film productions. He participated in several film and acting workshops, including one at the Prague Film School. Since 2019, he has been studying directing at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and attended the film school La Fémis in Paris for an exchange semester. His short films have been screened internationally at film festivals, including the Berlinale in 2022.