Groundwork (2018) is a feature doc, currently in post production, which follows at-risk youth from Detroit who trek to rural Malawi to build a school with non-profit organization Build On. Wayfarer Entertainment.
Director/DP: Christel Cornilsen
CHRISTEL
CORNILSEN
DIRECTOR | PRODUCER
ABOUT
Originally from Australia, Christel is an LA based documentary director, producer and editor. Armed with a pen and camera, she's captured compelling images and powerful stories, from the streets of Kolkata to villages in Malawi, and the boardrooms of Capitol Hill.
Her film portfolio includes work for HBO, A&E, VICE, CNN, The White House, Participant Media, PBS, Revelations, The Academy of Motion Pictures, and more. She's worked on dozens of feature films, documentaries, unscripted TV, music videos, and national commercials.
Christel wrote and directed An Idiot's Guide to Climate Change starring Rainn Wilson from The Office and Greta Thunberg - a digital docu-series produced by SoulPancake and Oscar-winning Participant Media.
She was a producer on the pop-culture feature documentary, BAMA RUSH, produced by VICE Studios, airing on HBO Max, May 2023. The film centers on young women as they rush the sorority system in the USA, filmed on the heels of the #bamarush viral sensation which took over Tik Tok.
Christel is also known for producing and 2nd unit directing the Emmy
winning TV show INTERVENTION, S23: Fentanyl Crisis and S22: Las Vegas. The show profiles people whose addiction to drugs or alcohol has brought them to the brink of destruction, devastating family and friends.
Christel began her career over a decade ago in Los Angeles by working as a camera assist on Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman and Obama's White House PSA: Joining Forces with Oprah, Spielberg & Hanks.
She holds a BA in Communications: Creative Writing from the University of Technology, Sydney, where she won the Human Rights Award for Women in 2008. She also studied International Journalism and Documentary Film at the University of Westminster in London, UK.
Christel is also a former professional dancer having danced in music videos for Kylie Minogue, Adam Lambert and Maroon 5. She still dances: tap, hip hop and angry ballet, much to the dismay of her neighbors.


NEWS
Christel was nominated as Finalist for the Global Australian Awards, in the Arts category in 2022 - hosted by Advance Australia.
Christel is represented by CAA - the Creative Artists Agency.
Christel is a member of the Australian Directors' Guild.
Inside Film Magazine Australia Interview
Aussie Activist Behind the Filmmaker's Lens