WOLNER · AFONASINA
DIRECTING DUO · FILMS BETWEEN DOCUMENTARY & FICTION
Short Bio
WOLNER · AFONASINA is a Vienna-based directing duo. Their films explore the space between documentary and fiction — psychological, reduced, and cinematic. Their current projects include the short fiction The Man, Who Tried To Sell His Fear, the short documentary Ilse Won’t Stay Still, and the feature fiction project Glasshouse.
„We create films in the space between documentary and fiction – psychological, reduced, cinematic.”
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The man, who tried to sell his fear
Short Fiction
Ilse won’t stay still
Documentary
Glasshouse
Feature Fiction
Wolner
Stefan Wolner is an Austrian filmmaker and producer with over 20 years of experience in television and documentary production. He has directed and produced several award-winning cinema documentaries such as Late Blossom Blues and #Unbroken – Mabacher’s Way, which screened at over 60 festivals worldwide and received awards including the Austrian Documentary Award at ethnocineca. One of his early milestones was the short film Balls, which won the Golden Shorts at Vienna Independent Shorts in 2005.
He has also created numerous TV documentaries for ORF, 3Sat, and international broadcasters, developing a personal, auteur-driven style in works like Beyond Binaries, The Sleep and Dying 2.0. His films combine social relevance with strong visual language, often focusing on themes such as aging, poverty, disability, and existential states.
In recent years, Wolner has turned toward cinematic and hybrid fiction projects, exploring the fragile terrain between reality and imagination with a minimalist, documentary-influenced aesthetic. He is currently working on several new films, including Ilse Won’t Stay Still, The man, who tried to sell his fear, Nachtvolk and Glasshouse. As founder of Red Monster Films and part of the WOLNER · AFONASINA duo, he continues to shape films at the intersection of documentary and fiction.
Afonasina
Sofia Afonasina is a writer-director and editor based in Vienna. Growing up between the U.S., Austria, and Russia, she brings a multicultural approach to her storytelling. Before turning to film, she studied International Relations at Central European University in Budapest, a background that sharpened her eye for the social and political forces shaping everyday lives. She then worked on documentary and visual anthropology projects before studying film directing at theBaltic Film, Media, Arts and Communications School in Tallinn, Estonia.
As a director, Sofia is drawn to female-centered stories about generational divides, the turbulence of coming of age, migration, and the pulse of urban life. Her graduation short film The Lion Blanket (Lõvitekk) traveled widely, screening and receiving nominations at international festivals. Her most recent narrative short, This is My Bus (Alle Aussteigen)continues her exploration of fleeting connection and urban spaces. Alongside fiction, she has created music videos and experimental works, and edited feature-length documentaries.
With a background in visual anthropology and social science, Sofia brings a sensitivity for contemporary issues and human resilience to her work as both a director and an editor.