Jonatan Karl Dieter Briel (9 June 1942 – 26 December 1988) was a German director, screenplay author, and actor.

He established the Youth Film Studio of Holzminden in 1962 and remained its director until 1964.

The following year he transferred to the Berlin German Film and Television Academy (DFFB).

In preparation for his work with film scripts and films, he toured the major cities of Europe, and lived and worked for a time in New York, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Boston.

Jonatan Briel was an artist who brought to his craft a wide-ranging knowledge of literature and film history, and was himself a poet by inclination.