Irja is an award-winning documentary producer and director with a focus on environmental and social issues. She has worked mainly for German and French National broadcasters (ARD, ZDF, ARTE), Japanese (NHK) and numerous NGOs with a focus on sustainability. In 2013 Irja moved to Bhutan, where she was the first foreigner to direct a 25-episode series for the Bhutanese National Broadcaster BBS called “The Farmer – Sonam Zhingpa”. 

 

The feature-length documentary “The Farmer and I” (now available on AmazonPrime) reflects her personal experience in Bhutan, premiered 2016 on the Max-Ophüls Film Festival and had a theatrical release in German cinemas. It won Best Documentary Film at the Polish International Film Festival and the Hollywood International Independent Film Festival and is now available on Amazon Prime. 

 

Since 2016 she has produced and directed several documentaries on children in challenging situations that have aired on ARD, ARTE and Deutsche Welle internationally. Her portrait on a child forced to work in a tannery in Bangladesh called “Ridoy” (30 min) was awarded one of the ten best children film productions in 2018/2019 by German National Broadcaster ARD. 2019 Irja produced and directed a film called „Bhutan – Change in the Happy Kingdom“ a co-production between NDR and ARTE, which was translated in Hindi, Spanish, English and Arabic and had over 22 Mio. views on Deutsche Welle YT channel. 2020 she produced and directed a mini-series 4 x 25 min. and an international feature-length documentary "GIRLS FOR FUTURE" (see work sample) on four girls who are environmental activists, fighting to save their homes and their communities available on Deutsche Welle YT under the title of “Four girls with one mission”. The film was coproduced by ARTE, SWR and Radio Bremen and premiered in 2021 internationally on the Zlin Film Festival in Czech Republic and won several prestigious awards especially for young audiences like the Unicef Special Price, Prix Jeunesse, Best World Documentary from Harlem Film Festival and Girl Empowerment Award from the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. 

 

Irja von Bernstorff has lived and worked in Thimphu, Bhutan for 13 years with her husband and three children.