Claudio von Planta

Claudio von Planta is a multi-award-winning Swiss documentary filmmaker who started his career with reports about remote corners around the globe. REBELS OF THE FORGOTTEN WORLD, a 1989 film about the Papuan independence struggle against Indonesia, was his first long-format TV documentary. Claudio is also a very experienced expedition filmmaker. Since 2004, he won global attention as the director of photography on LONG WAY ROUND, LONG WAY DOWN and LONG WAY UP, a series where he followed the actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman on a motorbike around the world, across Africa and South America. Claudio continued to film many other expeditions and is particularly interested in science and engineering adventures. In 2010, he filmed RACING GREEN, a BBC World TV series about the first electric car driving the entire length of North and South America. In 2018, he focused on high-altitude wind power with CHASING THE JET STREAM. In 2021, he started filming PEAK EVOLUTION, an altitude world record mission with a solar-powered electric 4x4 truck set to drive to the top of the world's highest volcano, the 6984 meters high Ojos del Salado in Chile. Some of Claudio's awards: SADDAM'S SECRET TIME BOMB - an investigation into the aftereffects of chemical weapons used during the bombing of the Iraqi city Halabja, received a special commendation from the Rory Peck Award in 1998. SURVIVING SUDAN - a report about the plight of Darfur refugees earned an Emmy nomination for the best long-format investigative documentary in 2006. LIVING WITH AIDS won the One World Media Award 2006 for best broadcast journalist and was a finalist for the best TV documentary. SPELL OF THE ALBINO looked into horrendous witchcraft practices in Tanzania, where albino body parts get used for magic potions. This film won the 2012 One World Media Awards for Children's Rights and was nominated for the Royal Television Society Awards.