[1] Prior to establishing a career as a filmmaker, she worked as a film journalist for the German-language newspaper Kurier, beginning in 1997.
[1] She subsequently co-wrote several screenplays and since 2003 also co-produced with long time partner filmmaker Ulrich Seidl,[2] including all three features in his Paradise trilogy; she also worked as an assistant director on some projects.
[3] Goodnight Mommy, co-written and co-directed by Franz and Fiala, was selected as the Austrian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
[6][7] Franz and Fiala subsequently co-wrote and co-directed a segment in the anthology horror film The Field Guide to Evil (2018), titled Die Trud.
[9][10] Their latest collaboration is the drama The Devil's Bath which ran in Competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2024, receiving the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for Martin Gschlacht's cinematography.