About Fritz Ofner

Fritz Ofner grew up in Styria, Austria, and studied Cultural and Social Anthropology as well as Journalism and Communications in Vienna.

After completing his studies, he travelled to Colombia, where he produced his first documentary, Walking with Cecilia (2007). From the outset, his filmmaking explored themes that would become a defining thread throughout his work: the impact of systemic power structures, the lives of Indigenous communities, and the legacies of colonialism.

In 2011 he released Evolution of Violence, a film examining the historical and social roots of Guatemala’s deep-seated conflicts. In the years that followed, Ofner turned his attention to the Middle East and the upheavals of the so-called Arab Spring. This period includes films such as From Baghdad to Dallas (2010), following the journey of Ahmad, a refugee child, from Iraq to the United States; Beirut Blend (2012), a documentary homage to Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee & Cigarettes filmed in early days of the uprisings; and Libya Hurra (2013), portraying the final weeks of the revolution against Muammar al-Gaddafi.

After this intense engagement with global conflict zones and systemic injustices, Ofner spent more than six years investigating the rise of the Austrian-made Glock pistol as a global phenomenon. The resulting film, Weapon of Choice (2018), attracted wide attention and was released on Netflix, reaching a global audience.

In the wake of these long and demanding investigative projects, Ofner has realigned his creative focus. His current films — The Shaman and the Scientist (2026) and Katabasis, or the Art of the Last Breath (in development) — turn toward the fault lines where different ways of knowing intersect. Through these works, he explores the boundaries of science and the limits of established knowledge, examining how empirical inquiry and spiritual traditions illuminate, challenge, and transform one another.