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
DIRECTOR + CINEMATOGRAPHER
DIRECTOR + CINEMATOGRAPHER
DIRECTOR + CINEMATOGRAPHER
DIRECTOR + CINEMATOGRAPHER
Buffalo Girls - (Feature Documentary) - Director: Todd Kellstein
CHRISTEL CORNILSEN
DIRECTOR/DP + WRITER
ABOUT
Originally from Australia, Christel is an LA based director/DP, writer and producer. Armed with a pen and camera, she's captured compelling images and powerful stories, from the streets of Kolkata to villages in Malawi, dominatrix dungeons in NY, and the boardrooms of Capitol Hill.
Christel produced and shot for the Emmy-winning show INTERVENTION,
which profiles people whose uncontrollable addiction to drugs, alcohol or compulsive behavior has brought them to the brink of destruction.
She also wrote and directed An Idiot's Guide to Climate Change starring Rainn Wilson from The Office and Greta Thunberg - a six-part digital docu-series produced by SoulPancake and Oscar-winning Participant Media.
Other recent work includes public TV feature doc Speaking Grief
where she lensed dozens of grieving families and experts across the USA.
Christel began her career over a decade ago by working as a camera assistant on shows such as Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman and The White House PSA: Joining Forces with Oprah, Spielberg & Hanks.
Her film portfolio includes work for A&E, Participant, Revelations, PBS, Discovery, The White House, The Academy of Motion Pictures and more. She's worked on feature films, documentaries, unscripted TV, music videos, and commercials for demanding agencies and global brands.
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 is a member of the Australian Directors' Guild.
Christel is represented by CAA.
Inside Film Magazine Australia Interview
Aussie Activist Behind the Filmmaker's Lens