Programme Associate Carol Nahra welcomes Academy Award-winning filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel. Listen to their conversation and delve into Orlando's filmography.
Orlando is drawn to telling inspiring stories of humble heroism from around the world, often combining intimate personal narratives with macro level politics, powerful visual aesthetics and on-the-ground journalistic muck-racking. Discussing how Orlando’s producer Joana Natasagera pushed Orlando to make his most recent feature, Evelyn – a very personal exploration of the devestatating impact of Orlando’s brother’s suicide on his family.
Filmmaker spotlight: Orlando Von Einsiedel
Orlando is drawn to telling inspiring stories of humble heroism from around the world, often combining intimate personal narratives with macro level politics, powerful visual aesthetics and on-the-ground journalistic muck-racking. He has worked in impenetrable and difficult environments, from pirate boats to war zones, and has won over 100 international film and advertising awards.
Virunga / 2014 / 1h 40m
Orlando’s debut feature documentary charted the story of a group of courageous park rangers risking their lives to build a better future in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
BAFTA and Academy Award nominated, the documentary won over 50 international awards including an EMMY, a Grierson and a duPont-Columbia Award for outstanding journalism. The film was also recognised for its role in protecting the Virunga National Park winning a Peabody, a Television Academy Honor and the prestigious 2015 Doc Impact Award.
The White Helmets / 2016 / 40 mins
Orlando’s forty minute film The White Helmets follows the lives of a group of heroic Syrian civilian rescue workers in 2016. The film was released as a Netflix Original and won the Academy Award for best documentary short. It was also nominated for two EMMYs, including one for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking.
Evelyn / 2019 / 1h 36min
Evelyn documents the story of a family overcoming the unthinkable. On a walking odyssey across the United Kingdom, they confront a past they’ve been unable to talk about, whilst simultaneously repairing the fractures in their own relationships.
Director Orlando von Einsiedel turns the cameras on himself, as he, his parents and siblings embark on a journey in remembrance of their brother and son, Evelyn, who took his own life over a decade ago.
Part quest, part road-trip, part memoir, Evelyn seeks to address the past, in order to find some peace in the present, and look to the future.
Radio Amina / 2011 / 8 mins
Orlando von Einsiedel allows 12-year-old Amina Dibir to talk about her dreams and the low status of girls in Nigeria, but not by interviewing her. Instead, he literally gives her a voice on the fictitious radio station Radio Amina, where she can broadcast all her ideas and opinions.
“Girls can be presidents, run companies, or even fly to space!” The film alternates back and forth between the gray reality of Amina, one of the many young street peddlers in the country, and a much brighter, more colorful world.