Cornelia Volk
Cornelia Volk was born in 1970, in Heilbronn, Germany. After school she studied political science, literature and rhetoric and was part of a free theatre company as actor and director. Her dedication to filmmaking as author and director of documentaries began in 1994 during her studies at Tübingen University. Since then, she has accomplished almost 30 nature and human life documentaries with topics from all over the world. For many years she focussed on national parks and trans-boundary conservation areas, with the main cooperation partners MDR and Arte. Some years ago, she realised a cinema documentary project for Al Jazeera Documentary Channel about Arabian horses: Drinkers of the Wind. One of her latest nature documentaries Animals at the Borders has been awarded and officially selected at more than 20 film festivals worldwide.
SELECTED WORKS
As author and director of documentaries
2019 Animals at the Borders / Tiere an den Grenzen
MDR // 44 Min. // German, German with English subtitles, Italian, French
Awards.: NATOURALE 2020 (Best Screenplay); Science Film Festival 2020 (Prize of the Jury); Docs Without Borders Filmfestival 2020 (Best of Show); T-Film 2020 (Green Planet); Vaasa Wildlife Film Festival 2022 (2nd Runner up category Environment & Conservation); Travel Fest Albania 2023 (Best Editing); West Side Mountain Doc Film Festival Greece 2023, History, Arts and Science Doc Film Festival Athens (Best Environmental Documentary)
2017 Drinkers of the Wind / سرج سابح في الآفاق
LOOKSfilm GmbH on behalf of Al Jazeera Documentary Channel // 75 Min., 52 Min. //
English, Arabic
Premiere in the cinema of the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar, April 2018; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYbsBQD59yA
2016 Wild Albania / Wildes Albanien – Im Land der Adler
LOOKSfilm in Co-prod. with MDR, BR, HR, TOP Channel // 52 Min., 44 Min. //
German, English, Albanian, Italian
Awards: Jahorina Film Festival, Bosnia and Herzegovina; (Golden Maple for Best TV documentary); Environmental Film Festival Albania (1. Prize in category EFFA Lab);
Gold Panda Sichuan Festival 2016 (Special Mention in Photography)
Sondrio Festival, Italy (Nominated as one of 12 documentaries)
2015 Unterwegs auf dem Ho-Chi-Minh-Pfad – Von Vinh bis Vongseykeo
Unterwegs auf dem Ho-Chi-Minh-Pfad – Von Xépon bis Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt
Hoferichter & Jacobs GmbH for MDR, Arte // je 44 Minuten // German, French
2012 Lions of the Kalahari / Die Löwen der Kalahari
Tauana Films for MDR, Arte // 44 Min. // German, French, Spanish
Ohne Pfeil und Bogen – Kalahari
Tauana Films for MDR, Arte // 44 Min. // German, French
2011 In the Heart of Balkans – In Search for the Lynx
In the Heart of Balkans – The Pelicans of the Prespa Park
Matthey Film GmbH for MDR, Arte // 44 Min. each // German, French, German with English, Albanian, Macedonian subtitles
Award: T-Film Ostrava 2012 (Prize of the International Jury)
2010 The Heart of Borneo
Das Herz von Borneo – Nasenaffen und Zwergelefanten
Das Herz von Borneo – Orang-Utans
MDR, Arte // 60 Min., plus 2 x 44 Min. // English, German, French
Gold Panda Sichuan Festival 2016, (Nomination for „Best Nature and Environmental Protection Award”)
2009 The Kingdom of the Bee Hummingbird
Der Humboldt-Nationalpark im Osten Kubas – Das Reich der Bienenelfe
Der Humboldt-Nationalpark im Osten Kubas – Wo Kolumbus die Insel entdeckte
MDR, Arte // 60 Min. plus 2 x 44 Min. // German, English, Spanish
2008 Mike und die Wege der Elefanten
MDR, Arte // 44 Min. // Deutsch, Französisch
2007 KAZA – A Megapark for Elephants
KAZA – ein Megapark für Elefanten – Das große Treffen am Chobe
KAZA – ein Megapark für Elefanten – Aufbruch nach Angola
MDR, Arte // 60 Min., plus 2 x 44 Min // German, French, English
Official Selection bei “mehrblick 2008 – Filmtage zur biologischen Vielfalt“
2005 Gems of the Rainforest
Perlen des Regenwaldes – Der Nicaragua-See und der Rio San Juan
Perlen des Regenwaldes – Das Schutzgebiet Indio-Maiz und die Karibikküste
MDR, Arte // 44 Min. // German, French, English
2004 Das grenzenlose Paradies – Afrikas Traum vom größten Tierreservat der Welt
MDR, ARD // 44 Min. // German
2004 Europas wilder Osten – Der Nationalpark Žemaitija in Litauen
MDR, Arte // 44 Min // German, French
Award: Ökomedia 2004 (Golden Lynx)
2003 Europas wilder Osten – Der Nationalpark Kornati in Kroatien
MDR, Arte // 44 Min // German, French
Award: Croatian Tourism Board (Golden Pen)
Other tasks in film production
Since 2022 Research for a documentary about Eslon Hindundu, Namibia
since 2014 Translation, editing, subtitling of documentariesfor MDR/NDR/BR
since 2005 TV reports for German public TV channels
Topics i.a.: culture, history, Giant squid, Tasmanian devil, Giant kelp, Wunderpus photogenicus, insects, birds
since 2004 Cinematic accompaniment of the Italian artists Edy Quaggio and Soraya Pérez (Compagnia dei Transiti, composition, singer-songwriter, poetry, dance, theatre)
2002 Heilige Klänge im Allgäu
Documentary by Leo Hiemer // Set and production manager // Leo Hiemer Filmproduktion // BR
2002 Wer sucht, erfindet – Vom Erfolg eines Familienbetriebs
Documentary by Sabine Willmann // Production manager // Floff Pictures GmbH // SWR
2001 Komm, wir träumen!
Feature film by Leo Hiemer // Production assistant, grant application etc. // Cinema release in 2004
1994 – 2013 Adventure Zoo – more than 10 episodes of the series as intern, co-director, director, author and producer // 44 min. each // MDR, ARD
1994/95 Commercials andimage films on behalf of MEFISTO GmbH
Theatre (director, actress)
1996 Bluthund based on a template by Joseph Mankiewicz (director // Company „Spielsteine“ // with Nikolaus Frei, Henry Toma)
Geschwister by Klaus Mann based on a template of Jean Cocteau (director // i.a. with Frank Weiß, Manuela Morlok, Henry Toma, Chris Lindner, Katja Schmidtchen // Awarded with the „Freiburger Ei“)
1995 Nachmittag der Generäle by Boris Vian (director and actress of “Madame de la Pétardière” // Company „Phlegphie“ // i.a. with Frank Weiß, Manuela Morlok, Henry Toma, Gabriel Fréville, Anuschka Strasmann, Katja Schmidtchen)
1994 Schluss. Aus. Ende based on Samuel Beckett’s “End Game” (actress of “Hamm/Nell”)
Glas by Elfriede Müller (director// Company „Phlegphie“ // i.a. with Frank Weiß, Manuela Morlok, Henry Toma, Gabriel Fréville, Anuschka Strasmann, Jörg Weishaupt, Leila Lehnen, Katja Schmidtchen)
1993 Selbstbespiegelungen – oder was aus Woyzeck wurde Collage of scenes and minidramas (author and director // Company „Blauer Enzian“ // i.a. with Frank Weiß, Manuela Morlok, Henry Toma, Leila Lehnen)
Internships et al.
1994-97 Internship, editorial assistant, editor at MEFISTO GmbH, Reutlingen
1993 Six weeks at ARiC (Anti Racisme Informacie Centrum) Rotterdam (Translation of the exposition “Wit over Swart“ from Dutch to German)
Nikolas Grasso
Nikolas Grasso is a film director and IED Milan graduate. He has directed multi-award-winning short films, along with numerous commercials and corporate marketing video campaigns for prominent international companies, including HP, Sotheby’s, and the Financial Times. Recently, he co-directed the short film “Here Comes the Sun” with his brother Mario, starring Stefan Velniciuc, Valeriu Andriuta, and Kristina Cepraga. Currently, Nikolas is working on a short documentary about Italian pianist Davide Santacolomba.
Arxhilda Rringaj
Arxhilda Rringaj is an expert in international law, working within the Department of International Law, Law of the Sea, and Treaties at Albania’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. While her expertise lies in legal matters, Arxhilda is also a passionate film enthusiast who has spent considerable time living, working, and traveling throughout the Balkans.
During her tenure as Second Secretary in Sofia, Arxhilda attended various national and international film festivals, where she gained an in-depth appreciation for the craft of film directors. Additionally, Arxhilda was involved in the project “Ела в Алвания” (Come to Albania), aired on Euronews Bulgaria, highlighting the stunning landscapes of Albania, the land of eagles.
As this is her first experience as a juror, Arxhilda looks forward to having an unforgettable time, creating lasting memories, and inspiring both students and filmmakers to promote Travel Fest Albania while encouraging participation in future editions.
Erjon Tusha
Erjon Tusha is a dynamic content creator, archivist, restorer and co-founder of Almanart, with over 5 years of experience in video editing, journalism, and multimedia production. Specializing in visual storytelling and digital media management, Erjon has contributed to key cultural projects like the Albanian National Film Archive and Tirana International Film Festival. His work focuses on promoting Albanian culture and tourism through engaging multimedia content and innovative digital strategies. With a strong academic background in Social Philosophy and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Tirana, Erjon is passionate about preserving and showcasing Albania’s rich heritage to a universal audience.
Mariana Preda
Mariana Preda is a renowned pan-flutist and music composer. She holds a degree in classical contemporary music and a Master’s in Panflute from the Conservatorium Van Amsterdam. Celebrated for her exceptional talent, she has composed music for various multi-award-winning short films and performed concerts worldwide. Mariana is also exploring the integration of AI into her music, pushing the boundaries of her artistic expression.
Lydia Suslova
Lydia Suslova is a screenwriter and photographer, researching the correlation of different art forms. She received a bachelor’s degree in international relations. Lydia worked as a film critic for several publications and covered the Cannes Film Festival and others. Now she is on the other side of the industry and creating content on her own. Her feature-length screenplay «MONO NO AWARE» is a dramedy partly based on real events got an Honorable mention at A Royal Chance Film Festival in the United States, is a semi-finalist of Rewind International Film Festival in Great Britain, and also is a finalist of Dubai International CINEVERSE Screenplay Awards.
Lydia shoots on film camera, digital camera, and phones. She is a participant and winner of photo contests and exhibitions around the world.