DIRECTOR/DP + WRITER
ABOUT
Originally from Australia, Christel is an LA based director, writer, and cinematographer, dedicated to innovative, socially conscious and comedic storytelling. She's filmed across five continents and nine languages, capturing compelling images and powerful stories; from the streets of Kolkata to villages in Malawi, dominatrix dungeons in Manhattan and the boardrooms of Capitol Hill.
She recently wrote, directed and cut An Idiot's Guide to Climate Change
starring Rainn Wilson from The Office, a docu-series for SoulPancake and Participant Media. Her latest feature documentary as director of photography, Speaking Grief, for PBS/WPSU, airs on US public TV in May.
Christel also recently directed Her American Dream - a short doc series for MOSTe, a non-profit organization for the education of disadvantaged girls.
She graduated with a BA in Communication: Creative Writing from the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS), where she won the UTS Human Rights Award for Women in 08. She also studied International Journalism and Documentary Film at the University of Westminster in London.
Her portfolio includes work for Revelations, The White House, SoulPancake/Participant Media, PBS, Overbrook, The Academy of Motion Pictures, Fusion TV and various non-profit organizations. She's worked on feature films, documentaries, reality/unscripted TV, music videos and commercials, for demanding agencies, global brands and non-profit organizations, from micro to multi-million-dollar budgets.
She began her career by working as a camera assistant on Obama's White House PSA short docs Joining Forces with Hanks, Spielberg and Oprah, and Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman.
Christel's first experience as a documentarian was at 17 when she set off to Zimbabwe, Egypt and Kenya with a camera to explore how female genital mutilation impacts the lives of women and girls. Throughout her studies, Christel worked with children's organizations on the ground throughout India, Europe, and Africa.
Christel is a former professional dancer having danced in videos for artists Kylie Minogue, Adam Lambert and Maroon 5. She still dances: tap, hip hop and angry ballet, much to the dismay of her neighbors.
NEWS
Latest: An Idiot's Guide to Climate Change - a docu-series starring
Rainn Wilson from The Office, by SoulPancake/Participant Media.
Feature doc Speaking Grief - for PBS/WPSU, airs on public TV from May.
Press: Aussie Activist Behind the Filmmaker's Lens in Los Angeles
Check out new filmmaking and femtech lab THE FEMALE FACTORY
AGENCY
Christel is repped by agents Matt Chazen and Jacy Schleier at CAA