Liesl Ahlers -  Biography, Career and Films

Liesl Ahlers is a multi-talented South African actress, director, singer, songwriter, and martial artist. She is widely recognized for her performances in the films "Friend Request," "Daylight," and "Triggered."

Early Life 

Liesl Ahlers was born on 29 May 1991 in Pretoria, South Africa. She completed her matriculation at Hoërskool Die Wilgers in Pretoria. Liesl pursued Acting for Film & TV in Canada at the Vancouver Academy of Dramatic Arts (VADA) and later earned her Honors degree in Psychology, graduating Cum Laude, from the University of South Africa. She is fluent in both Afrikaans and English.

Career

Upon returning to South Africa in 2011, Liesl Ahlers joined the cast of the popular television series Sokhulu & Partners for its third season, portraying the character "Zelda". She then starred alongside William Hurt in the television movie The Challenger Disaster, which aired on BBC Two in 2013.

In 2016, Liesl played the role of "Marina Mills" in the German supernatural film Friend Request, directed by Simon Verhoeven. Her performance earned her recognition and an award in Moscow for her portrayal. In 2020, she appeared in the film Triggered, directed by Alastair Orr, where she portrayed the character "Erin". The following year, in 2021, she acted in the horror film The Construct and also served as a stunt actor.

Beyond her acting career, Liesl Ahlers ventured into writing, producing, and directing. In 2018, she directed the South African awareness film Daylight, which shed light on the plight of orphaned children due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa. The film gained global attention after being selected for the Realtime International Film Festival 2018 in Lagos, Nigeria, receiving 11 nominations and winning 6 awards. Liesl herself was nominated for Best Director, Best Movie by an African Female Director/Producer, and Best Supporting Actress for her contributions to the film.

Apart from her acting career, Liesl Ahlers holds a Brown Belt in Martial Arts, specializing in Korean fighting and Self Defense (Hapkido) under the guidance of Master Vladimir Grachev. Her interest in martial arts intensified after auditioning for the lead role of "Sawa" in the live-action adaptation of Kite. Despite losing out on the role to India Eisley due to the film's stunt requirements, Liesl aspires to star in an action film that will showcase her martial arts skills, including sword fighting.

In the realm of fashion, Liesl is a designer, owner, and founder of the women's clothing brand "Call A Cab & Take It Slow". She is also the founder of "The Squared Shirt Charity Project", an initiative aimed at empowering underprivileged children in South Africa.

Beyond acting and fashion, Liesl Ahlers is also a talented singer and songwriter. She has composed and performed songs such as "With Stupid", "Blues Baby", and "Crimson". Her songwriting credits include "The First Thing", performed by John Niel; "I See You" and "Home", performed by Lee Cole; and "Before", performed by Sarah Bird. Notably, "Home" was nominated for Best Song at the 2020 European Songwriting Awards in Frankfurt, Germany, while "Before" received an honorable mention at Songdoor 2020. Liesl plans to release her debut album under the alias "LARS".

Films

2010 Thysnywerheid

2012 Rock and Roll

2013 The Challenger Disaster

2013 Brunch

2015 Inside Job

2016 Friend Request

2017 Dealing

2018 Daylight

2018 The Defining Moment

2020 Seafoam

2020 Triggered

2021 Let's Talk Showbiz

TBD Sterre Dans

TBD The Construct

TBD Obsession