After finishing her research Masters in both Biology and Philosophy, Marleen van der Werf graduated for a Masters in wildlife documentary filmmaking in the UK. Marleen van der Werf developed her own distinctive style of writing and audio-visual storytelling. She carefully researches her subjects, aiming to find unique approaches and explore the boundaries of genres, questioning the presented subject intensively in order to challenge the thoughts of the audience.

In 2015, his film Het meisje en de boom won an award at the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia. In 2018, his documentary Time and Tide was nominated at the Nederlands Film Festival.