Born in Berlin in 1943. After studying music he learnt the craft of film in a printing laboratory. In 1955, at the age of 21, he founded his own film production company. Over the course of six years 21 short films were made, some of which made it to international film festivals and even won prizes: the short film FREIZEIT UND ERHOLUNG was honoured as best sport film in Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1958. WAS DU ERERBT VON DEINEN VÄTERN was shown as a German contribution in Oberhausen in 1958. In 1961, SCHATTEN was the only German contribution at the Venice Biennale. AUTOS VON MORGEN, STRASSEN VON HEUTE, MENSCHEN VON GESTERN was shown as a German contribution to the Berliner Filmfestspiele in 1961 and at the Short Film Festival Oberhausen in 1962. In spring 1961 he made his first feature film TOBBY, which was awarded with best director at the International Filmwoche in Mannheim that same year. Pohland's most important production are DAS BROT DER FRÜHEN JAHRE (1962, at Cannes), DIE TOTE VON BEVERLY HILLS (1964, at Cannes), STAMPING GROUND (1971), THINGS FALL APART (1971), CHECKPOINT CHARLY (1980). In 1966 Pohland (one of the signatories of the Oberhausen Manifesto) celebrated his biggest success as a director with the film adaptation of Günter Grass' novella Katz und Maus.