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In production
Legendary Grandhotels - Season 2
2022 • 4x52/45 Min.
Virtually every metropolis, every sought after ‘place in the sun,’ can boast a legendary hotel, a place steeped in tradition. The very words “Grand Hotel” emanate a special kind of magic. Such hotels are more than architecture, family history, tradition: they are chroniclers of our times. At a time when travel was still celebrated, grand personalities entered and exited Europe's grand hotels on a regular basis. For the upper classes, hotels were the hubs and linchpins of social life. Weaving themselves around these hotels – surrounded by an aura of glamour, as well as by a web of little anecdotes – were the most extravagant legends. In these palaces, people lived, loved, and suffered; there were celebrations, but also deaths. Taboos and hearts were broken, far-reaching political decisions arrived at, and from time to time, world-famous works of literature composed. The grand hotels survived two world wars, have witnessed democracies and despotic regimes come and go, and they provided the stage scenery for the dramatic societal transformations of the 20th century. “Legendary Grand Hotels” is a high-quality four-part series that promises glamour, diverting anecdotes, intriguing stories, and enthralling views behind otherwise closed doors: Who were the visionary founders, the pioneering spirits of these hotels? Who was responsible for building the reputations they enjoy today? What family histories, or tragedies, played themselves out behind these walls, unbeknownst to the guests? What feats of architectural mastery, which ingenious design features are concealed within these edifices?
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Counteracting Stigma: Illiteracy in Germany
2022 • 30 Min.
In Germany, although there is no lack of access to education, schooling, or language courses, 6.2 million people – nearly one in eight – cannot read or write, or at least not competently. But who are they? According to one popular prejudice, they have to be immigrants. Wrong! Fully 60 percent of those affected speak German as their mother tongue. Another prevalent prejudice: illiterate people are less intelligent. Wrong again! Actually, they display enormous creativity and resourcefulness to function in daily life despite their disability. Meanwhile, a growing number of children – nearly 20 percent – advance from primary to secondary education without acquiring an adequate knowledge of reading and writing. 37 Grad tells the stories of three such individuals, and follows their progress for a period of one year.
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Fiercely Photogenic (AT)
2023 • 5x25 Min.
How an animal be presented as something more than a mere charming motif? When does animal photography become an art form? Which deeper dimensions are fathomed by photographers when they go beyond capturing a straightforward picture of an animal with the camera? What do such images strive to convey, and just how difficult is it to work with animals in pursuit of a definite thematic concept? Animal photography has long since found a place in the art world – from exotic wild animals to agricultural livestock, and all the way to domestic pets: increasingly, all are sought-after subjects for professional photographers. In our series “Fiercely Photogenic,” we present photographers who work with animals in distinctive and at times unconventional artistic contexts, in the process visualizing newly discovered dimensions in the relationship between animal and photography. Featured are five artists who could hardly be more different from one another. Viewers can expect whimsical perspectives of our beloved four-legged friends – at times from unusual angles. We pose the question: How is the domestication of zoo animals to be approached aesthetically and at the same time critically? And what happens when animals such as bats are transferred into the studio, far from their normal living environments, where they achieve a new, hyper-aesthetic visibility? Who would have thought that cattle could be displayed so that these farm animals unexpectedly acquire a marvelous aura, especially in black and white? Finally, there are one-eyed cats and three-legged pygmy rabbits – animals nobody really wants. A colorful stage restores dignity to the residents of an animal shelter, revealing creaturely personalities of unsuspected vibrancy. The series showcases superb artworks that are remote from classical animal photography. These touching, thought-provoking images will also beguile the viewer, capturing our imagination through their aesthetic qualities.
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South Korea: Natural Treasure
2022 • 45 Min.
South Korea, although still unfamiliar to many, is a land of almost inconceivable richness: spectacular landscapes, remarkable animal life, vast mountains, rugged valleys, outstanding plant life and a variety of flowers, countless islands, magnificent coastlines. The wildlife parks are among the most beautiful on the Asian continent, and the coastline is characterized by an opulent and entirely unique aura. And there is Hwangmaesan Mountain: with three peaks, it lies at the feet of Hapcheon Reservoir. Since the mountain can be seen mirrored in the water, the locals refer to it as the “Underwater Flower.” In springtime, it is transformed into a deep pink ocean of azaleas and rhododendron blossoms, and with its mystical, natural beauty, becomes the stage for the Royal Azalea Festival, which takes place annually in May. Not far distant is the Haeinsa Temple. One of the most important Buddhist temples in Korea, it is also among the most precious cultural treasures worldwide. Not only do we people of South Korea treasure their land, they live in harmony with it, and with its natural wonders. They protect these through specialized, up-to-date programs, invest in sustainability and climate change prevention, and work actively to prevent the extinction of certain animal species, among them the Asiatic black bear. South Korea is future-oriented, but at the same time celebrates its enormous wildlife sanctuaries through a variety of festivals and traditions. For South Korea, these conservation areas are among the country’s most important ecosystems.
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The Ideal Woman: How Barbie Conquered the World
2022 • 52 Min.
Barbie, the phenomenon! No other woman is as famous. No other woman is as old, while being at the same time ageless. And no other woman is as admired, criticized, adored, and hated – right up to the present day. The invention of Ruth Handler, a shrewd businesswoman, this ‘doll’ has all of the ingredients of a thrilling life. Barbie was and remains a mirror of her time. She is trendy and progressive, a was a feminist from the very start – although her appearance might suggest otherwise. But then whoever said a blonde with a wasp waist and a pronounced fondness for pink can’t be a feminist? There was no ‘man’s job’ she failed to master with flying colors. No house is too large for her, no car drives too fast. Meanwhile, a candid sexual identity is among the key parameters of her self-image. Barbie was and remains open to change, and the “World of Barbie” remains multifaceted. In 2024, Barbie will be 65 years old. As early as July of 2023, she will be honored by a major Hollywood production, and even now, the “World of Barbie” looks forward to the date with keen anticipation. The main roles, of course, have been taken by big stars: super blonde Margot Robbie as Barbie, Ryan Gosling as a newly bleach-blonde Ken. The director is Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird and Little Women). The production has catapulted the pop and fashion worlds into a new Barbie fever. Pink has come to dominate the catwalks once again, and in the digital worlds, Barbie has long since created her own reality. With 2.1 million followers on Instagram, she is a successful influencer, and her confinement to the children’s playroom has long since been a thing of the past. The documentary immerses viewers in the life story of the most celebrated doll in the world. It features Ruth Handler, her inventor, a dynamic businesswoman who possessed the flair necessary to create an adult doll together with her own unique lifestyle. Amidst all of the changes occurring today, can Barbie truly remain Barbie? Or will she decide, in the end, to do away with herself? Is Barbie’s life story a biography of shifting values?
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George Grosz and Die Neue Sachlichkeit
2023 • 52 Min.
In 1925, Gustav Friedrich Hartlaub, then director of the Mannheim Art Museum, coined the name of a new tendency in German art when he organized an exhibition entitled “Die Neue Sachlichkeit. Deutsche Malerei nach dem Expressionismus” (The New Objectivity: German Painting after Expressionism). Die Neue Sachlichkeit was an apt characterization of German painting after World War I, but the name (The New Objectivity? The New Sobriety?) doesn’t quite work in other languages. In the painting of the Weimar Republic, Hartlaub recognized a common zeitgeist and a common artistic approach, namely emphatic sobriety and unsparing realism. Among the key representatives of the “Neue Sachlichkeit” was the painter George Grosz. Less known is the fact that his development as a young artist was strongly influenced by a stay in Paris and southern France. Already as a young student in Paris, he acquired a distinctive ability to depict people with striking precision - just as he saw them. After the experiences of World War I, he began depicting his subjects on the canvas in an exaggerated way. George Grosz derived his motivic repertoire from the social contradictions that characterized early-20th-century Wilhelminian society. His critical caricatures target the growing chasm between a bourgeois-capitalist society of affluence and the segment of the population still suffering from hunger and deprivation. Grosz carried this remorseless perspective with him to France. In this documentary, a century after the emergence of the “Neue Sachlichkeit,” we seek to show how this artistic tendency exercised an influence across the Rhine, and how Grosz became a bridge-builder through his works, including drawings for French satirical newspapers. In anticipation of the jubilee exhibition at the Mannheimer Kunsthalle (2024), we search for the traces of George Grosz in France, acquainting viewers with new facets of his artistic personality.
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Lonely at the Top: The CEO
2024 • 90 Min.
Chief executive officers: What do we really know about them? Apart from the fact that they are extremely powerful, earn a great deal of money, and make important decisions that affect the futures of many, many people. Their lifestyles are often regarded critically – with skepticism, but also a dose of envy. They are not particularly numerous, and are far from approachable. A species unto themselves. What makes them tick? What drives them onward, fires their passions? And who serves as a corrective to their power? Are they subject to self-doubt, or are they simply immune? How lonely is it way up there at the top? In times of war or crisis, they have a lot to say about how things proceed. Concerning the reorganization of Germany in the coming decades, the type of economic system that will prevail. It comes down to existential questions about our collective future: How can the values of independence, morality, sustainability, and a good, comfortable life be reconciled with one another, and what visions for the future are cultivated by CEOs in their respective economic sectors? What is the nature of their interactions with political life, and how do they perceive their roles in the context of current political events? The film accompanies men and women whose influence helps to shape life in Germany – group of individuals who confront special challenges in the current crisis.
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Dogs of the Powerful
2022 • 45 Min.
For centuries, the world’s most powerful personalities have enjoyed presenting themselves together with animals, mostly dogs. The canines are useful in polishing the public images of masters and mistresses, and may be either fearsome or sympathetic as required. Dogs are given as gifts on diplomatic missions, and somehow, they make their powerful owners seem almost human. Throughout history, rulers, kings, politicians, and dictators have presented themselves together with their dogs – often their most intimate and trusted companions. Depending upon which attributes they wanted to see associated with their public images, they chose adorable lapdogs, intimidating mastiffs, or comical little rascals. Beyond logic or argument, these creatures are useful in transmitting psychologically powerful messages. Which are then taken very much to heart by ‘the people.’ In some cases, these four-legged creatures are used to distract the citizenry from a closer look at the political landscape. The most celebrated example is the dog given to JFK by Khrushchev in the midst of the Cold War. Diplomacy really can be that simple. Even when it’s a question of the competition for the conquest of outer space. President Roosevelt even included his dog Fala in his campaign speeches, and took him along on Air Force One. The 1941, the furry fellow accompanied FDR to the Atlantic Charter Conference in Newfoundland. George H. W. Bush’s dog Millie, an English Springer Spaniel, was among the best-known First Dogs. He achieved immortality when First Lady Barbara Bush wrote a book from his unique point of view. With appropriate wit and whimsy, the film sheds light on a quirky sideshow of world history, at the same time revealing much about the character of famed politicians.
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Good Drug – Bad Drug? The Cannabis Controversy
2024 • 45 Min.
The planned legalization of cannabis has become a source of society-wide controversy, with advocates and opponents irreconcilably opposed. For the first time in Germany, a drug is to become officially available for consumption by adults, as stipulated in the coalition agreement of the new government. The Deutsche Hanfverband (German Hemp Association) estimates that between 200 and 400 tons of cannabis are consumed in German annually. Altogether 6.1% of adults use the drug, and with young people aged 18 to 25, the figure is as high as 15.3%. Critics accuse proponents of seeking decriminalization to the detriment of younger, more vulnerable individuals in particular. Protection of minors versus criminalizing drug-use? The film asks whether and to what extent legalization may be problematical, especially for young people, whose perspective is emphasized in the production. But on the political, social, and scientific levels as well, and with an eye toward the experience of the Netherlands evidence, the documentary explores the full complexity of this ongoing debate.
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