Rico Mahel is a German-Mozambican-Portuguese director, writer and editor based in Berlin. He studied Photography and Design at Lette Verein Berlin and Directing at the renowned German Film Academy dffb. His award-winning films and music videos have been screened at film festivals in over 25 countries including the Academy Awards® Qualifying film festival interfilm Berlin, Southern Africa’s largest film festival Durban International Film Festival and Japan’s most prestigious short film festival & film market Sapporo Short Fest.
Friends, partners and clients include
Pias Recordings, Berlin State Ballet, Arising Empire, Groenland Records, GLS Bank, Kaltblut Magazine, Dance Masterclass, BBDO Craftwork, funk (ARD/ZDF), Bohemian Browser Ballett, achtung berlin, Bildungsfilm, Agentur Gretchen, Boheifilm, TBD Media Group and many others.
For further information, more work samples (such as commercials, image films, social media, branded content and more) or any requests feel free to contact me.
awards & nominations [selection]
Best Music Video Award @ Basel Film Festival Gässli
Opus Kulturmagazin Photography Price
Iris Award @ Terre di Cinema Film Festival, Italy
Audience Award @ Randfilmfest Kassel, Germany
Best Music Video @ BSFF Berlin, Germany
Grand Prix Nomination @ Sapporo International Short Film Festival & Market, JP
Nomination Best Editing & Best Cinematography @ Watersprite Film Festival, UK
Nomination Best Cinematography @ Berlin Music Video Awards, Germany
Nomination Best Production Design @ Ibiza Music Video Festival, Spain
festival screenings [selection]
2020
Warsaw Short Framing, Poland
Riga International Short Film Festival, Lithuania
Filmfestival SPITZiale, Germany
2019
Caminhos do Cinema Português, Coimbra, Portugal
2018
Bamberger Kurzfilmtage, Bamberg, Germany
Gässli Film Festival, Basel, Switzerland
2017
Watersprite Film Festival, Cambridge, UK
Orlando Film Festival, Orlando, USA
Berlin Student Film Festival, Berlin, Germany
International Video Festival Videomedeja, Novi Sad, Serbia
Festival Internacional de Cinema e Saúde Mental, Faro, Portugal
Premir Internacional de Tierra Caliente, Colombia
Nahal International Student Film Festival, Tehran, Iran
Salón Internacional De La Luz, Bogotá, Colombia
Tlanchana Film and Digital Art Festival, Metepec, Mexico
Randfilmfest, Kassel, Germany
2016
interfilm, Berlin, Germany
Durban International Film Festival, Durban, South Africa
Sapporo Short Fest, Sapporo, Japan
Berlin Music Video Awards, Berlin, Germany
Radar Awards, London, UK
My Mumbai Short Film Festival, Mumbai, India
Oklahoma Dance Film Festival, Tulsa, US
Bogotá Music Video Festival, Bogotá, Colombia
Sehsüchte Film Festival, Potsdam, Germany
Ibiza Music Video Festival, Ibiza City, Spain
Sarajevo Fashion Film Festiva, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Flimmerzimmer Berlin, Germany
Lubuskie Film Summer, Lagow, Poland
Leiden International Short Film Experience, Leiden, Netherlands
Wendland Shorts, Germany
Indy Film Fest, Indianapolis, USA
Machetanz Film Festival, Achorage, USA
Festival Internacional Audiovisual, Chia, Colombia
Terre di Cinema, Italy
Snake Alley Festival of Film, Burlington, USA
Ferfilmfest, Ferizaj, Kosovo
Filmz Mainz, Germany
Arkadia Short Fest, Prahova, Romania
2015
Hofer Filmtage, Hof, Germany
TAU Filmfest, Tel Aviv, Israel
Etiuda & Anima Film Festival, Krakow, Poland
Kyiv International Short Film Festival, Kyiv, Ukraine
First Step Film Festival, Tirana, Albania
