Michael Obert (born 1966) is a German book author and journalist who has been compared with the likes of

Bruce Chatwin Charles Bruce Chatwin (13 May 194018 January 1989) was an English travel writer, novelist and journalist. His first book, ''In Patagonia'' (1977), established Chatwin as a travel writer, although he considered himself instead a storyteller, i ...

Jon Krakauer Jon Krakauer (born April 12, 1954) is an American writer and mountaineer. He is the author of bestselling non-fiction books—'' Into the Wild''; ''Into Thin Air''; ''Under the Banner of Heaven''; and '' Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat ...

and

Ryszard Kapuściński Ryszard Kapuściński (; 4 March 1932 – 23 January 2007) was a Polish journalist, photographer, poet and author. He received many awards and was considered a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Kapuściński's personal journals in bo ...

. His debut movie ''

Song from the Forest ''Song from the Forest'' is a 2013 German documentary film written and directed by Michael Obert. The film premiered on 21 November 2013 at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, where it was honored with the Best Feature Length Docum ...

'' was honored with the Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary at the

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988 in Amsterdam. Over a period of twelve days, it has screened more than 300 films and sold more than 250,000 tic ...

2013. In 2016 ''Song from the Forest'' was considered for the 88th

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. Obert is currently based in Berlin.

Journalism

As a journalist Michael Obert reports mainly from Africa and the Middle East and writes for a wide range of prestigious periodicals in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, such as Sueddeutsche Zeitung Magazin,

GEO Geo- is a prefix derived from the Greek word ''γη'' or ''γαια'', meaning "earth", usually in the sense of "ground or land”. GEO or Geo may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''GEO'' (magazine), a popular scientific magazine ...

, Zeit Magazin,

Die Zeit ''Die Zeit'' (, "The Time") is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History The ...

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung The ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' (; ''FAZ''; "''Frankfurt General Newspaper''") is a centre-right conservative-liberal and liberal-conservativeHans Magnus Enzensberger: Alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen' (in German). ''Deutschland Radio'', ...

. Obert´s work is also published by international media like

Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

Magazine,

Courrier International ''Courrier International'' ( French for "International Mail") is a Paris-based French weekly newspaper which translates and publishes excerpts of articles from over 900 international newspapers. It also has a Portuguese and a Japanese edition. '' ...

, GQ France, The Journal (New York),

Dagens Næringsliv ''Dagens Næringsliv'' (Norwegian for "Today's Business"), commonly known as ''DN'', is a Norwegian newspaper specializing in business news. , it is the third-largest newspaper in Norway. Editor-in-chief is Janne Johannessen, who was appointed i ...

(Oslo) and Himal Southasian (Kathmandu).

Literature

In his travelogue ''Regenzauber'' (On the River of Gods), published by German National Geographic Editions, he describes traveling for seven months on Africa’s third longest river, the

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesBay of Benin The Bight of Benin or Bay of Benin is a bight in the Gulf of Guinea area on the western African coast that derives its name from the historical Kingdom of Benin. Geography It extends eastward for about from Cape St. Paul to the Nun outlet of t ...

. In ''Die Raender der Welt'' (The Edges of the World), a selection of Obert’s finest literary travel writing, he explores 25 lost locations often overlooked by travelers so far, including war zones like Afghanistan, Sudan, Nigeria, but also forgotten paradises such as the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Bhutan. In ''Chatwins Guru und ich'' (Chatwin´s Guru and Me) Obert, a self-described modern nomad, follows in the footsteps of the nearly hundred-year-old writing vagabond, Patrick Leigh Fermor. To find this mentor, Obert travels from Berlin via Vienna to Bratislava, through Hungary, Serbia, Rumania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania before reaching the southern Peloponnese. Along the way, he gets to know what is, for him, an unfamiliar part of the world. His encounters become part of a portrait of Eastern Europe that is as personal as it is poetic. Michael Obert´s literature is not yet published in English language.

Film

'', Michael Obert´s debut movie, tells the story of American

Louis Sarno Louis Sarno (July 3, 1954 – April 1, 2017) was an American adventurer, recordist and author. In the mid-1980s until about 2016 he made field recordings of the music of a Bayaka (BaAka) "pygmy" forest people while living among them in the Ce ...

who has lived among the Bayaka pygmies (also

Aka people Aka, AKA or a.k.a. may refer to: * "Also known as", used to introduce an alternative name Languages * Aka language (Sudan) * Aka language, in the Central African Republic * Hruso language, in India, also referred to as Aka * a prefix in the na ...

) in the central African rainforest for 25 years and travels with his son, 13-year-old pygmy boy Samedi, to New York City. The film premiered at the

2013 where it was honored with the Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary. The film also won the 2014 Grand Prix at Planete+Doc International Film Festival in Warsaw and was nominated for the Golden Eye Award for Best International Documentary Film at the Zurich Film Festival 2014. In 2016 ''Song from the Forest'' was considered for the 88th

Bibliography (selection)

*Chatwins Guru und ich. Meine Suche nach Patrick Leigh Fermor (2009 Malik Verlag), *Die Ränder der Welt. Patagonien, Timbuktu, Bhutan& Co. (2008 Malik Verlag) *Regenzauber. Auf dem Fluss der Götter (2003 Droemer Verlag)

Filmography

* 2013: ''

'', written and directed by Michael Obert - Documentary film, world premiere:

2013.

Awards (selection)

* 2018:

European Press Prize The European Press Prize is an award programme for excellence in journalism across all 47 countries of Europe. It was founded in 2012 by seven European media foundations: The Guardian Foundation, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Jyllands-Posten Found ...

, Distinguished Reporting Award for ''The Human Catcher'' * 2017:

Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting is an American news media organization established in 2006 that sponsors independent reporting on global issues that other media outlets are less willing or able to undertake on their own. The center's goal ...

, International Journalism Grant * 2017: Amnesty International Media Award for Human Rights for ''The Curse of the White Skin'' (''Der Fluch der weißen Haut'') * 2016: Considered for the 88th

with ''Song from the Forest'' * 2016: Shortlist Journalist of the Year, European Diversity Awards London 2016 * 2015: German Documentary Film Award for ''Song from the Forest'' * 2015: Nominated for

, Distinguished Writing Award, with ''Boko Haram. The rise, beliefs and power of Africa’s most feared terrorist group'' * 2014: Grand Prix, Planete+Doc International Film Festival Warsaw for ''Song from the Forest'' * 2014: Nominated for Henri Nannen Award * 2014: Hansel-Mieth-Prize (10 best stories of the year) * 2013: IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary for ''Song from the Forest'',

2013http://www.idfa.nl/industry/press/29-november-song-from-the-forest-wins-the-vpro-idfa-award-for-best-feature-length-documentary.aspx/IDFA, Song From the Forest wins IDFA Award * 2013: Otto Brenner Award for Critical Journalism * 2013: Lighthouse Award for Outstanding Journalistic Work * 2013: Shortlisted for

, News Reporting Award * 2013: Hansel Mieth Prize (10 best stories of the year) * 2012: German Reporter Prize * 2012: Hansel Mieth Prize (10 best stories of the year) * 2011: Hansel Mieth Prize (10 best stories of the year) * 2009: Sangam House Writers´ Residency, Pondicherry, India * 2009: Hansel Mieth Prize (10 best stories of the year) * 2008: Ledig House Writers´ Residency, New York * 2008: Herbert Breiter Scholarship, Greece * 2005: Globetrotter Literature Award

References

External links

www.obert.de (author´s page)

www.facebook.com/obert.michael (author´s Facebook page)

www.songfromtheforest.com (SONG FROM THE FOREST official website)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obert, Michael Living people 1966 births German male writers European Press Prize winners