Marie-Hélène Gutberlet studied art history, philosophy and film studies in Frankfurt am Main and Basel (Dr. Phil.). Since 2010 she works as a freelance curator, writer and film scholar, co-founded the experimental film series reel to real (which has taken place in Frankfurt am Main from 2003 to 2013); she co-initiated the project Migration & Media which involves symposia and exhibition projects, most recently Shoe Shop (Johannesburg 2012) and The Space Between Us (Berlin and Stuttgart 2013–2014). 2013 to 2015 Marie-Hélène together with Tobias Hering were the artistic directors of the film archival project Visionary Archive (Arsenal – Institut für Film und Videokunst e.V.) with public activities in Berlin, Bissau, Johannesburg, Kairo and Khartum. She co-initiated the festival cum exhibition Cours, cours, camarade, le vieux monde est derrière toi—The Cinema of Med Hondo (Berlin 2017-2019 together with Brigitta Kuster and Enoka Ayemba and is the co-editor of the three part publication of this project. Together with Annett Busch (Berlin and Trondheim) Marie-Hélène is the curatorial head of Women on Aeroplanes and its iterations in Berlin, Lagos, Bayreuth, London, Warschau, Frankfurt am Main and Johannesburg and develops various exhibition and publication formats (since 2017).

Moreover, Marie-Hélène Gutberlet is teaching film history and film theory and supervises artistic research projects. Gutberlet is member of the international core jury at Akademie Schloss Solitude Stuttgart (since 2019). She was first visiting professor (2019-2020), and since this 2020 regular professor for film at the University for Art and Design Offenbach am Main. Gutberlet has published widely on African cinema, Black cinema, contemporary art, migration, experimental and documentary film.  

Marie-Hélène Gutberlet at University for Art and Design Offenbach am Main