Karl Brandstater

Karl Brandstater is of Austrian and Russian descent, and while he calls Australian shores home, he has never hidden from the world. He began his work in film and television as a camera operator and DP on foreign language documentaries throughout Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia. He soon found his voice in directing and has gathered over 30 years experience as a filmmaker, particularly in non-fiction. In 2014 Karl completed a sixteen part international documentary television series called Barinia - Food and People of the Mediterranean. It explores the cultural and culinary mores of the southern Mediterranean and portrays a sea borne odyssey aboard the vintage yacht "Barinia". The episodes feature local life in many of the coastal communities of Italy, The Aegean Islands, Southern Turkey, Sicily, Amalfi, Liguria and the French Riviera. The story vignettes reveal the people's commitment to preserving precious traditions in the face of challenges created by a new age of hyper-tourism. The series debuted nationally in Italy in November 2014 and begins broadcasting in 4K UHD in Brazil to a 200 million strong Latin American audience this year. Further territories are currently being scheduled throughout Asia, Europe, Poland, Russia and Turkey. Through the early part of his career Karl directed foreign language documentaries in Eastern Europe and the Russian Far East, including: "Vladimir - The Bear Hunter"; "Lake Baikal - Splendour of Siberia";"Tiger Hunting"; and "Vladivostok - The Opening of a Closed City" (1995 - 1999). He went on to direct a series of short film dramas and documentaries that have featured on the international film festival circuit, including "Wet Horses" (2002), "Gravy" which debuted at the Brooklyn International Film Festival in (2003), the St Kilda Film Festival (2004) and was awarded "Top Ten" at The International Fox Comedy Film Festival in Melbourne in 2005. His short film "Staying with Vegas" (2011) was exclusively released online receiving a Vimeo Staff Pick. Karl's work is preoccupied with anthropological themes and includes ongoing philanthropic endeavours, and he is actively engaged in humanitarian projects and pro-bono work with not-for-profits and charity based organisations. Recent examples include audiovisual resources for a variety of mental health initiatives, road and cycle safety, law and order, education, breast cancer intervention, science and new technologies, and the environment (NSW Health). As a film maker, Karl is remarkably active in conceptualising engaging content for multi-platform delivery and exploring nova digital publishing methods. Karl is in development on two new non-fiction series about the "Wealth and Poverty of Time" and "New Minds that can Change the World". He is also involved in a co-write for a suspense TV drama series featuring a unique view on cultural repatriation.