Tanja was born in Austria. She moved to Los Angeles to study Film and TV directing at the renowned American Film Institute (AFI). She was awarded with the prestigious Mary Pickford Scholarship for Outstanding Achievements in film directing and the AFI Richard P. Rogers Spirit of Excellence Award. Her thesis film FUELING THE FIRE won the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Student Film Award. The film went on to win 16 “Best Short Film” or “Best Director” awards and screened at over 30 international film festivals. FUELING THE FIRE received an exclusive broadcast deal with HBO/CINEMAX and was also released on DVD. Tanja was also a finalist at the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Competition organized by Universal, Chrysler and Hypnotic. Fascinated with underwater cinematography, Tanja decided to explore this unique and uncharted territory in her latest project, the short film LACRIMOSA.