Dominik Wessely
Dominik Wessely (1966) was born and raised in Munich; today he is Berlin-based. His works comprise a broad variety of documentary filmmaking (tv documentary, documentary series, feature length documentary). His films have been presented at film festivals all over the world, including Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), The Chicago International Film Festival, FAJR Teheran, Input-Conference Taipeh, Museum Of Modern Art, N.Y., Melbourne International Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, Seoul International Film Festival, World Film Festival Montréal. From 2008 –2013 Dominik Wessely was full professor for documentary filmmaking at IFSInternationale Filmschule Köln, Cologne, Germany. NELLY’S ADVENTURE is Dominik Wessely’s first feature length movie.

Director’s Statement
“Almost three years ago I read the script Nelly’s Adventure for the very first time. Immediately I knew that this was „my“ story. I wanted to direct this movie by all means. From the first page on I could empathise with Nelly, with her anger about her parent’s betrayal of confidence but also with her curiosity and her thirst for adventure.
When Nelly learns that she and her parents are about to move to Transylvania she flees and runs into some crooks who kidnap her. What Nelly does not know: she is the core of a plot against her father and his business. Being hidden in a gypsy village somewhere in Romania, Nelly enters a world that intimidates her in the beginning, a strange world that is totally different from everything she knows from her steady life in Germany.  A lot of people – even adults – would surrender in such a moment. Nelly is different, she is a strong character, that is why she decides to face her challenges.  I think this is something important in life: being open to what life offers to us. When we are able to put aside our preoccupations and prejudices we will discover that life can be rich and beautiful even in moments when we would never expect it. Openness is a virtue, strangers can become friends and pâté made from pork brain can be a delicacy, too. Just try it. 
Being a documentary filmmaker by origin, I take a new step now: Nelly’s Adventure is my first movie. I feel very honored having the opportunity to present it personally at Giffoni Film Festival”.