Marcel Mettelsiefen (born 1978) is a documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, and producer.
His documentaries have earned him critical appraisal and recognition. Among others, Mettelsiefen has won three BAFTA and three Emmy awards, and was nominated for an
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
in 2017 for '' Watani: My Homeland'' in the category of Best Documentary Short.
Mettelsiefen has a background in photojournalism and has reported from across the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
and
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
.
He is the co-founder of the magazine ''
zenith
The zenith (, ) is an imaginary point directly "above" a particular location, on the celestial sphere. "Above" means in the vertical direction ( plumb line) opposite to the gravity direction at that location ( nadir). The zenith is the "high ...
'', one of the leading publications about the Middle East and the Arab world in Germany, and a founding member of the German non-for-profit organization ''
Candid Foundation
Candid Foundation is a private non-for-profit organisation working in the fields of intercultural dialogue, media, research and development. It was founded in 2014 in Berlin. The organization focuses on the countries of the Southern Mediterrane ...
''.
Mettelsiefen studied political science and medicine at the
Humboldt University
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiati ...
in Berlin and photographed within Syria more than twenty-five times. It was in Syria that he moved from photojournalism and then into documentary filmmaking.
Professional career
Marcel Mettelsiefen was born in Munich to a German father and an Ecuadorian mother and began taking photographs after graduating from high school. He came to photojournalism through his work for the magazine '' Zenith - Zeitschrift für den Orient'', founded in 1998.
In early 2000, he traveled to Israel and the Palestinian Territories, photographing for the Associated Press news agency. After his return, he began working for the news German Press news agency, for which he reported from crisis areas such as
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
(2001),
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
(2003) and Haiti (2004).
In addition to his work as a photographer, Marcel Mettelsiefen studied politics and medicine at the
FU Berlin
The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...
. In 2008 he went to
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
for 14 months, where he started a close cooperation with Spiegel correspondent Christoph Reuter from Kabul.
At the beginning of the so-called Arab Spring, Marcel Mettelsiefen traveled to the besieged areas in Egypt and Libya for the news magazine
''Der Spiegel''. From 2011 to 2014, he travelled undercover to Syria more than 28 times and produced numerous reports and short documentaries for which he received numerous international awards, including the Emmy Award, Bafta, Grierson and the Dupont Award.
One of Mettelsiefen's best-known films is the short documentary '' Watani: My Homeland'', which tells the story of children in war-torn Syria.
Over a period of three years, Marcel documented the life of a Syrian mother and her four small children in the besieged city of Aleppo.
The film was nominated for an Academy Award in 2015 and won a Peabody Award, a Grierson Award, and an Emmy Award, among others.
In his four-part documentary series "Afghanistan - the Wounded land," Marcel Mettelsiefen weaves together unseen archival footage with first-hand testimonials from those who have endured the tragic events of the last 50 years in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. In a 360-degree approach, he lets various actors have their say. CIA agents, Soviet generals, Afghan warlords, but above all many strong Afghan women.
His latest feature documentary, "In Her Hands" premiered to great acclaim on the opening weekend of the Toronto Film Festival 2022 and was sold to Netflix. "In Her Hands" is a full-bodied, cinematic portrait of strong immediacy, insight, and humanity about the events that transpired in the months leading up to the fall of Kabul. This purely observational documentary follows 26-year-old Zarifa Ghafari, one of Afghanistan's youngest female politicians. At the same time, it takes us into the mountains to meet her opponents, the Taliban. With strong access to both sides, the film manages to show the complete reality of a deeply divided country.
Frontline
Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield.
Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to:
Books and publications
* ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant
* ''Frontlines ...
Rory Peck Award
The Rory Peck Award is an award given to freelance camera operators who have risked their lives to report on newsworthy events.Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) - '' Watani, My Homeland (2016)''
* Winner Overseas Press Club Award - ''Children of Syria''
* Winner:
Prix Europa {{notability, Events, date=March 2021
PRIX EUROPA – The European Broadcasting Festival – is the Europe's largest annual tri-medial festival and competition. The event takes place in the third week of October in Berlin, Germany.
PRIX E ...
Prix Italia
The Prix Italia is an international Television, Radio-broadcasting and Web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with the ...
- Best TV Documentary, Current Affairs - ''Children on the Frontline, Syria (2014)''
* Winner: Cinema for Peace Award - ''Children on the Frontline, Syria (2014)''
* Winner:
Cinema for Peace
The Cinema for Peace Foundation is a registered, non-profit organization based in Berlin, Germany. It supports film-based projects dealing with global humanitarian and environmental issues, and coordinates the Cinema for Peace awards.
History
The ...
- ''Children on the Frontline, Syria (2014)''
* Winner:
International Emmy
The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sci ...
- ''Children on the Frontline, Syria (2014)''
* Winner llaria Alpi - Best Documentary Feature - ''Children on the Frontline, Syria (2014)''
* Winner: Grimme Preis - ''Children on the Frontline, Syria (2014)''
* Winner: Bayeux-Calvados Award - Long-Format Television - ''Children on the Frontline, Syria (2014)''
* Winner:
Grierson Award
The Grierson Awards are awards set up by The Grierson Trust to recognise innovative and exciting documentary films, created to commemorate the life and work of the pioneering Scottish documentary filmmaker John Grierson.
The inaugural Awards w ...
- Best Documentary On An International Contemporary Theme - ''Children on the Frontline, Syria (2014)''
* Winner:
One World Media
One World Media is a non-profit organisation, registered in the UK as a charitable trust. It is based in London. The charities mission is to support strong vibrant and independent media that empowers citizens, promotes justice and contributes to in ...
- Television Award
* Winner: Edinburgh TV Awards - Producer/Director Debut Award
* Winner:
RTS
RTS may refer to:
Medicine
* Rape trauma syndrome, the psychological trauma experienced by a rape victim
* Revised Trauma Score, a system to evaluate injuries secondary to violent trauma
* Rubinstein–Taybi syndrome, a condition characterized by ...
- International Documentary
* Winner: BAFTA Current Affairs - ''Children on the Frontline, Syria (2014)''
* Winner: BAFTA CRAFT - Factual Photography - ''Children on the Frontline, Syria (2014)''
* Winner LA FIGRA Award - ''Children on the Frontline, Syria (2014)''
* Winner: Peabody Awards - Documentary - ''Children on the Frontline, Syria (2014)''
* Winner:
Amnesty International Media Awards
The Amnesty International Media Awards are a unique set of awards which pay tribute to the best human rights journalism in the UK. Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK's director, said that the awards recognise the "pivotal role of the UK medi ...