Born in the German town Leonberg, Vanessa enrolled at The Munich Film School in 1993 - graduating in 1999 with a Film & TV degree. During that period, Vanessa already directed several short films and music videos and directed skits for the comedy series "The Weekly Show".

After "Honolulu" (1999), a collaboration with five fellow students, Vanessa caused a stir with her first feature; the adolescent love triangle story "Forget America" (2000), that won the First Steps Award among several other prizes. Her next feature shortly followed with "Engel + Joe" (2001), based on a true story, written by the acclaimed German journalist Kai Hermann.

After a successful stage adaptation of novel "Film B", and a TV stint, Vanessa's third feature "Happy as One" (2006) premiered at Berlinale and was nominated for Best Film at the German Film Awards. In 2007, Vanessa's "Messy Christmas", a star-studded ensemble comedy and a remake of the Swedish success "In Bed with Santa", was then released.

Vanessa went on to direct the TV-movie screen adaptation of the novel "Ladylike", a comedy about two aging women who support themselves by becoming con artists, and the TV series "Midlife Crisis" winning the prestigious Grimme Award for the latter. Her next directorial and co-written feature "Lies and Other Truths" (2014) was successfully released by Wild Bunch.

After directing the acclaimed TV entry "Crime Scene: Amour Fou" (2017), Vanessa helmed the screen adaptation of the bestselling novel "Love Virtually", co-produced and successfully released by Sony Pictures as "The Space Between the Lines" (2019). Vanessa is next picture was the International Netflix feature, "Faraway".

Vanessa has travelled widely across continents, enabling her to tap into the rich tapestry of cultures - inspiring her and her emotionally grounded characters, elevating stories and broadening their international appeal. Vanessa lives in Berlin with her family.