Orlando von EinsiedelPeople of Today 2017 / Lucy Hume (born in August 1980) is a British film director. He directs mostly documentary films that investigate global social issues, and has filmed in various places around the world, including Africa, Asia, America and the Arctic. von Einsiedel became known for his award winning film '' Virunga'', produced with the cooperation of

Virunga National Park , iucn_category = II , iucn_ref = , location = Democratic Republic of the Congo , map = Democratic Republic of the Congo , relief = 1 , coordinates = , area = , established = , nearest_city = Goma , photo =Virunga National Park-107997 ...

director Prince de Merode.

Early life

Von Einsiedel is the grandson of Wittgo von Einsiedel (a second cousin to

Heinrich Graf von Einsiedel Heinrich Graf von Einsiedel (26 July 1921 – 18 July 2007) was a German journalist, politician and World War II Luftwaffe ace. Early life Einsiedel, a great-grandson of Otto von Bismarck, was born in Potsdam, Province of Brandenburg, as the you ...

, who descends from

Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...

) and Walburga von Obersdorff. His father, Andreas Jean-Paul von Einsiedel, was a photographer specialising in architecture and interiors. Orlando grew up in

Forest Hill, London Forest Hill is a district of the London Borough of Lewisham in south London, south east London, England, on the South Circular Road, London, South Circular Road, which is home to the Horniman Museum. History Like much of London, Forest Hil ...

, UK with his mother (Harriet), a British music therapist. He attended Alleyn's, an independent school in

East Dulwich East Dulwich is an area of South East London, England in the London Borough of Southwark. It forms the eastern part of Dulwich, with Peckham to the east and Camberwell to the north. This South London suburb was first developed in the nineteent ...

, London, UK.

University

Von Einsiedel studied

social anthropology Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...

at the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

and an MSc in anthropology and development at the London School of Economics.

Film career

Many of von Einsiedel's documentaries have been screened at some of the world's top film festivals. He directed '' Virunga'' (2014), which received an

Academy Award 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 ...

nomination for Best Documentary Feature, and '' The White Helmets'' (2016), which won for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Both nominations were shared with producer Joanna Natasegara. His 2018 film, ''Evelyn'', about his late brother, launched at the

London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...

and won th
BIFA
for Best Documentary. In 2020, 'Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you're a girl)', a film he was an executive producer on, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). In 2006, he co-founded

Grain Media Grain Media is a British film, television and commercials production company in South London, established in 2006 by Jon Drever Jon Giuseppe Drever (born 29 June 1979) is a British director, producer and screenwriter, mostly working in comedy ...

, a production company based in London.

Snowboard career

Von Einsiedel spent several years as a professional snowboarder, travelling the world promoting the brand names of various sponsors through media engagements, photo/video shoots, and competitions. During this period he was given the nickname '

Jill Dando Jill Wendy Dando (9 November 1961 – 26 April 1999) was an English journalist, television presenter and newsreader. She spent most of her career at the BBC and was the corporation's Personality of the Year in 1997. At the time of her death, her ...

', due to the rhyme connection between his name and hers.

Selected filmography

* '' Skateistan: To Live and Skate Kabul'' (2010) * '' We Ride: The Story of Snowboarding'' (2013) * '' Virunga'' (2014) * '' The White Helmets'' (2016) * '' Evelyn'' (2018) * ''

Convergence Convergence may refer to: Arts and media Literature *''Convergence'' (book series), edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen *Convergence (comics), "Convergence" (comics), two separate story lines published by DC Comics: **A four-part crossover storyline that ...

'' (2021) * '' From Devil's Breath'' (2022)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:von Einsiedel, Orlando 1980 births Living people Counts of Germany Directors of Best Documentary Short Subject Academy Award winners English film directors English screenwriters English male screenwriters Writers from London