Thor is a award winning cinematographer and director with honors that include an Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography, a Cinema Eye Honors Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography, as well as multiple nominations including a IDA nomination for Outstanding Cinematography. Thor is making documentary films and commercials and is based in Cambridge, MA and Brooklyn, NY.
Thor's' most recent work includes the Academy Award shortlisted and Emmy winning documentary "The First Wave" - directed by Academy Award nominated filmmaker Matthew Heineman. Thor's work premiered multiple times at the Sundance Film Festival - in 2020 with the film “Boys State” directed by Academy Award nominated filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBain. “Boys State" was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
Thor is a voting member of the documentary branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and a founding member of the NYC Kamera Kollektiv, a boutique agency for documentary cinematographers.
Working on documentaries for theatrical release and primetime television Thorsten is passionate in making films that illuminate the human condition and bring about social change. Thor specializes in intimate character studies and Vérité projects and cause driven commercial work.
Thorsten grew up in southern Germany, leaving his small town at the age of 16 to pursue his passion of film. He dropped out of school to study the craft of both editing and cinematography, learning from some of the most accomplished documentary film makers in the country.
Thorsten has lived, worked, and traveled extensively in both the largest cities and the most desolate regions of the world. Over a period of more than a decade Thorsten was based in Cairo, Tunis, Washington DC, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro. He made documentaries about the political changes and the dynamic social challenges, including a year long stay in Iraq during the war in 2003.
Thorsten is fluent in English, German, Spanish and and speaks Portuguese.