Franz Ernst, Danish film director. Ernst made his debut with Regarding Lone (1970) which proved to be a breakthrough and a milestone for the New Realism in Danish feature films of the 1970’s. His work is characterized by curiosity, and often deals with fundamental issues concerning human consciousness, as in the documentaries Life is a Dream (1971) on schizophrenia, Into The Wide World (1986) on the mysteries of the universe, or Between Heaven and Earth (1988), a qualified test of the credibility of three astrologers. Furthermore, Ernst has made a series of psychologically interesting TV films, including Peace of Private Life (1973), written with Klaus Rifbjerg, and Domino (1991), based on the novel by Anders Bodelsen.