In 1984, Treut earned her doctorate degree in philology from the University of Marburg. That same year she founded Hyena Filmproduktion together with Elfi Mikesch, and began producing, writing, and directing independent feature films. The following year Treut made her feature film debut with "", a film that explored sadomasochistic sex practices. Treut also spent time in America during the 1980s. Traveling and working in San Francisco and New York City, Treut met and worked with Annie Sprinkle and Werner Schroeter, while also producing some of her own films. These relationships led to the films "Annie" (documentary short), "My Father is Coming" and "Encounter with Werner Schroeter" (documentary short).