Biography
Harald Friedl, born on August 2, 1958 in Steyr, Upper Austria, began studying German and English in Salzburg in 1976. Already as a student he was active as a writer and in 1980 he received the literature prize of the city of Steyr in the category 'working world'. In the same year he became singer and guitarist of the rock band Scheiblingseder.
After completing his community service with Lebenshilfe in Wals, Friedl received teaching positions at the University of Salzburg and the University of Hull in England. In 1987 he was offered a position as a research assistant at the Salzburg Institut für Alltagskultur (Institute for Everyday Culture). From 1991 to 1993 he was director of the newly founded Literaturhaus Salzburg. During these years he shot the TV documentary "Verbotene Jagden. Wilderer zwischen Not und Leidenschaft" (AT 1990) and the essayistic documentary "mobile stabile" (AT 1992).
In 1994 Friedl began working as a freelance filmmaker, writer and musician. His works as an author include the books "Der Schwanz. Männer über ihr Geschlecht" (1998) and "Belohlaveks Geheimnis" (2002) as well as numerous contributions to literary anthologies and the literary magazine Podium. From 2000 to 2010 he was a member of the board of the literary circle Podium.
Friedl was also the singer, composer and lyricist of the band "Blaumarot" from 1995 to 2000 and then again from 2008. He wrote librettos for the Spring String Quartet and for the first German-language jazz opera "Hochgeschätztes Tiefparterre" by Gerald Schuller.
As a filmmaker, Friedl has produced numerous documentaries and film portraits. For example, the 25-minute TV piece "Ein Leben in diesem Jahrhundert - Wilhelm Kaufmann" (AT 1996), the essayistic documentary "Africa Representa" (AT 2003) and the TV documentary "Diesseits von Afrika. Entdeckung Lesachtal" (2004).
His documentary film "Aus der Zeit" ("Out of Time", AT 2006), in which he portrays traditional Viennese retail stores that defy the big retail chains, won prizes at several international festivals, including the Grand Jury Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival. This was followed by the musician portraits "Vom Orchesterleben. Das Tonkünstler Orchester Niederösterreich" (AT 2008, TV) and "So sieht's aus. G'schichten vom Willi Resetarits" (AT 2008), as well as "Mein Leben als Apfelbaum" (AT 2012), about the singer and actress Gail Gatterburg.
For "What Happiness Is" (AT 2012), Friedl traveled to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, which at that time opened up to the West without succumbing to its materialism. There he accompanied officials of the state ministry of happiness who evaluate the degree of Gross National Happiness.
In addition to his activities as an author, composer and filmmaker, Friedl has held teaching positions at various US universities since 2000. In 2003 he was Artist in Residence at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. From 2012 to 2014 he was a visiting professor at the California State University in Long Beach. In 2015 he became chairman of the Austrian Documentary Film Interest Group (dok.at), of which he had been a member of the board for many years.
In the summer of 2020 Harald Friedls documentary "Brot" ("Bread", AT/DE) was released in cinemas. The film is a detailed observation of the craft and the development of the art of baking bread. As co-author of Volker Schmidt-Sköries he worked on the book "Der Bäcker und sein Brot. Wie beseeltes Arbeiten und nachhaltiges Wirtschaften gelingen ".
Harald Friedl lives in Vienna and Mitterretzbach/Lower Austria.