Andreas Morell
The director Andreas Morell got his eduction to filmmaking already as a young boy
when he made the local cinemas his temporary home. Later he completed those
theoretical studies with a more serious education at the Munich Filmschool and the
Royal College of Art in London, as well as with working in the theatre and the opera.
For years Andreas Morell has now become especially well-known for his much
admired films about music and musicians.
His sensitive and visually fascinating portraits and promotional videos of the likes
of the famous Polish composer Penderecki, violinist Nigel Kennedy, conductors
Simon Rattle and Ingo Metzmacher, singers Thomas Hampson, Roberto Alagna
and Matthias Goerne, the Kronos Quartet, the 12 Berlin Philharmonic Cellists
and the Senegalese pop star Youssou N`Dour have been much heralded.
His feature length documentary Premiere on two classical ballet dancers rehearsing
Stravinsky`s "Firebird" won him the German Filmprize in 1988.
Only recently his co-operation with Chinese composer Tan Dun on the visual side of
the world performance of "Water Passion after St.Matthew" has created an
international stirr and was repeated in London and Tokyo.
Televised concerts of classical works, i.e. with the "living conductors` legend"
Guenter Wand, and of many Jazz gigs, i.e. with Cassandra Wilson, Wynton Marsalis,
B.B.King, Isaac Hayes and Carlos Santana, have been shown on TV all
over Europe and the States.
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2000
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TAN DUN WATER PASSION (swr/3sat, 120`, live)
with Tan Dun, Maya Beizer, Elizabeth Keusch, Stephen Bryant
Staged perfomance - world premiere - of renowned Chinese composer
Tan Dun`s new work. Repeated in London with Yo-Yo Ma and in Tokyo.
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1999
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HANNA SCHYGULLA SINGS (zdf/arte, 100`, semi-live)
Staged concert with famous German actress, singer & Fassbinder-muse
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1998
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PENDERECKI: A PORTRAIT (arte, 60`)
PENDERECKI: CREDO (zdf, 45`)
Two films about the Polish composer Penderecki, following his progress in
writing a Missa and an acount of his life & work.
SCHUBERT`S WINTER`S JOURNEY (emi classics, 75`)
Film version of Schuberts Winterreise, shot on location in Munich, Vienna
and Scotland, sung by American Thomas Hampson, accompanied by
Prof. Wolfgang Sawallisch
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1996-99
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STUTTGART JAZZ OPEN (concerts, SDR, 960`, live)
Concerts with B.B.King, Isaac Hayes, Carlos Santana, Afro-Cuban All Stars,
Bootsy Collins, Cassandra Wilson, Ron Carter, Zap Mama, Kadja Nin, Noa,
Chucho Valdez, King S. Ade, Keb`Mo, Peter Fessler
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1988
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PREMIERE (nef/zdf, cinema release, 12`)
PREMIER DANSEUR (nef, cinema release, 90`)
Two films about two dancers and a choreographer rehearsing Stravinskys
Firebird.
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Andreas Morell is also well known for his highly praised film and TV-adaptions of
plays. In that he has co-operated with internationally renowned directors as Peter Stein,
Christoph Marthaler, Heiner Mueller, Claus Peymann, Frank Castorf, Dieter Dorn and Einar Schleef.
Many of Germany most admired actors and actresses like Hanna Schygulla,
Corinna Harfouch, Jutta Lampe, Nicole Heesters, the late Agnes Fink, Martin Wuttke,
Bernhard Minetti and the late Ulrich Wildgruber have acted in front of his camera.
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2000
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BEFORE RETIREMENT (zdf/3sat, 140`, w: thomas bernhard)
with Claus Peymann, Traugott Buhre, Kirsten Dene
THE KISS OF FORGETTING (zdf/3sat, 130`, live, w: botho strauss)
with Matthias Hartmann, Otto Sander, Anne Tismer
AMPHITRYON (br, 140`, w: heinrich v. kleist)
with Dieter Dorn, Sibylle Canonica, Michael Mertens, Lambert Hamel
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1999
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THE SIMILIAR ONES (zdf/orf, 160`, w: botho strauss)
with Peter Stein, Jutta Lampe, Corinna Kirchhoff
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1998
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SPORTSTÜCK (zdf/3sat, 320`, live, w: elfriede jelinek)
with Einar Schleef
THE DEVIL´S GENERAL (3sat, 160`, live, w: carl zuckmayer)
with Frank Castorf, Corinna Harfouch
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1996
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DOWN WITH GOETHE (3sat, 75`, live, w: hans magnus enzensberger)
with Hanna Schygulla, Ulrich Wildgruber, Nicole Heesters
THE HOUR ZERO (3sat, 140`, w: christoph marthaler)
with André Jung, Graham Valentine, Siggi Schwientek
THE RESTISIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI (3sat, 160`, w: bertolt brecht)
with Heiner Mueller, Martin Wuttke, Bernhard Minnetti
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In Germany Andreas Morell has also worked successfully on Movies of the Week and
TV-series. "Witchfire", his 1995 Movie of the Week, was raved on by the critics as
"one of the most imaginative and starkly impressive films of the year". He also directed
various episodes of Europes most successful soap, "Good Times , Bad Times".
In the UK Andreas has worked for Londons major corporate production company,
HP:ICM, directing corporates for the likes of the US/German car manufacturer Opel/GM
and the Swedish software company Intentia. "If we only all played
cricket", made for the British Foreign Office, won him 1995 UK`s highest corporate
award, the IVCA.
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1995
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WITCHFIRE (zdf/3sat/ard, 90`)
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1990
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THE CHINESE METHOD/ co-w (ard, 100`, episode of tv-series tatort)
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Next to his films Andreas Morell has a track record of very successful works for the
theatre: his production of Brian Friels Dancing at Lughnasa was shortlisted for the
prestigious Berlin Theatre Festival, the UK premiere of the opera Dokumentation
at Londons` famous small theatre Almeida, won the 1996 Prudential Award as part of
the best Opera Season.
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1999
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ADINA (rossini/ putbus festival)
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1997
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DOKUMENTATION I (helmut oehring/ almeida theatre london)
FRANKENSTEIN & OTHER MACHINE MEN (wolfgang deichsel/ prater volksbühne berlin)
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1996
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DANCING AT LUGHNASA (brian friel/ theatre lindenhof melchingen)
DOWN WITH GOETHE (enzensberger/ kf weimar/world premiere)
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Andreas Morell divides his time between London and Berlin.
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