Uli Hanisch was born in Nuremberg in 1967. While studying in visual communication in Düsseldorf, he worked as a graphic designer for advertising agencies. In 1987 he began his collaboration with Christoph Schlingensief on his experimental films such as „The German Chainsaw Massacre“ or „Terror 2000“. Hanisch designed the films of Germany’s exceptional comedian Helge Schneider, as well as working in the art departments of european co-productions as Peter Greenaway´s „The Baby of Macon“ and „Tykho Moon“ by Enki Bilal. He collaborated with Tom Tykwer since 1997.
In 2007 he was awarded the Bavarian, German and European Film Awards for best production design for „Perfume-The Story of a Murderer“. He worked for american feature films such as „The International“ – again with Tykwer- or „Season of the Witch“ with Nicholas Cage. With Leander Haußmann he did his first theater stage design „Rosmersholm“ at the Volksbühne in Berlin. Last year he worked on the „world wide ever made biggest independent feature“ film „Cloud Atlas“ with Tykwer and the Wachoswki´s. Since 2001 Hanisch is teaching at the production design education program at the International Film School (IFS) in Cologne.