Orlando von Einsiedel is no stranger to documentary-making, having covered everything from the origins of snowboarding to hawkers in Nigeria. But in his own words, he told Indiewire, “I’m just an average guy from south London who’d like to believe that a film can actually make a difference.” Einsiedel’s documentary takes us to the midst of renewed civil war and a scramble for Congo’s natural resources. The feature follows a courageous group of individuals risk their lives to save the world’s last mountain gorillas.
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What films have inspired you? For “Virunga” films that have really influenced me have been Mads Brügger’s “The Ambassador” and James Longley’s “Iraq in Fragments,” two films I love. The film also borrows from many narrative feature films (believe it or not, this film is a bit like a real life “Avatar”) and that really came to life in working with our fantastic editor Masahiro Hirakubo. He’s worked on some brilliant features and we really wanted an editor that could bring a more dramatic feeling to this film, even though it’s a documentary.
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Indiewire invited Tribeca Film Festival directors to tell us about
their films, including what inspired them, the challenges they faced and
what they’re doing next. We’ll be publishing their responses leading up
to the 2014 festival. Go HERE to read all the entries.
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