Ulrike Koch

Birth : , Birkenfeld

History

Ulrike Koch was born in Birkenfeld/Nahe, Germany. She studied sinology, Japanology and ethnology at the University of Zurich as well as Chinese literature and philosophy at Beijing University/China. Her journalistic activities include writing articles and film reviews for various publications, e.g., Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Weltwoche, Positif (Paris), as well as project consulting and lecturing on China, Tibet and Buddhism. Before directing her own films she worked as casting director for The Last Emperor and Little Buddha, both by Bernardo Bertolucci; and as assistant director for Johanna d'Arc of Mongolia by Ulrike Ottinger and Urga by Nikita Mikhalkov. She lives and works as an independent filmmaker in Zollikon near Zurich.

Movies

Regilaul - Songs of the Ancient Sea
Regilaul - Songs of the Ancient Sea
Writer
On the shores of the Gulf of Finland, the ancient Finno-Ugric peoples originated a singing tradition of mysterious power called the Regilaul. These songs are the roots of Estonia’s renowned singing culture. Based on the continuous repetition of eight-syllable verses, they produce a haunting sound able to connect the fleeting present with the eternal circle of life. Against the stunning setting of modern Estonia, this film explores how Regi songs still fire the imagination today, weaving together people and nature through song.
Regilaul - Songs of the Ancient Sea
Regilaul - Songs of the Ancient Sea
Director
On the shores of the Gulf of Finland, the ancient Finno-Ugric peoples originated a singing tradition of mysterious power called the Regilaul. These songs are the roots of Estonia’s renowned singing culture. Based on the continuous repetition of eight-syllable verses, they produce a haunting sound able to connect the fleeting present with the eternal circle of life. Against the stunning setting of modern Estonia, this film explores how Regi songs still fire the imagination today, weaving together people and nature through song.
Ässhäk - Geschichten aus der Sahara
Ässhäk - Geschichten aus der Sahara
Director
Shots, scenery and traditions of some Tuareg (plural of Targi) tribes, the Berber pre-Arab native camel-mounted nomads of the Sahara and bordering Sahel region. Their favorite pastime are stories, mixing truth, dreams, legends and poetic liberty, mainly told by the elderly and professional "griot", in tents or by the campfire, often accompanied on the single-string imzhad bow instrument. The central concept is "asshak", their ancient honor code, which stands for virtue, Allah's will and respect for life.
Die Salzmänner von Tibet
Die Salzmänner von Tibet
Writer
Four men from a nomadic Tibetan tribe undertake their annual, ritualistic pilgrimage to a sacred salt lake. Salt gathered in this traditional fashion will be sold to provide the economic livelihood of the tribe for the coming year. The journey, necessary for the group's survival, also incorporates a number of rituals necessary for their culture to survive in the modern world.
Die Salzmänner von Tibet
Die Salzmänner von Tibet
Director
Four men from a nomadic Tibetan tribe undertake their annual, ritualistic pilgrimage to a sacred salt lake. Salt gathered in this traditional fashion will be sold to provide the economic livelihood of the tribe for the coming year. The journey, necessary for the group's survival, also incorporates a number of rituals necessary for their culture to survive in the modern world.