Love Is Colder Than Death

Love is Colder Than Death (German: Liebe ist kälter als der Tod) is a 1969 West German crime film written, starring, edited and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, his feature directorial debut. The film co-stars Ulli Lommel and Hanna Schygulla, both of whom would become regular collaborators of Fassbinder. The plot follows a small-time gangster (Lommel) who is caught in a love-triangle with a sex worker (Schygulla) and her pimp (Fassbinder). The film premiered at the 19th Berlin International Film Festival, where it received a polarized reaction, but was nominated for the Golden Bear. At the 1970 German Film Awards, the film won awards for Best Ensemble Cast and Best Cinematography (Dietrich Lohmann).