In production

Modern Moscow is very different compared to its old reputation. Between past and future, tradition and modernity, a city with many different faces unfolds. Many things have changed in the last two to three years – the art scene in Moscow is booming. The metropolis is changing at breathtaking speed. Many artists are returning home from abroad and new, young artists are finding unexpected platforms for their creativity. They are shaping the Russian capital architecturally, artistically and thereby also the city and its culture. The film shows a surprising image of a lively city in the 21st century shaped by art, while also reflecting on Moscow’s rich cultural heritage.

Everyone knows pop artist Keith Haring’s colorful, striking symbols, icons and simple stickmen figures. His distinctive graphics appear all over the world, on t-shirts, watches, posters, prints on paper bags, buttons and countless other items.

Though seemingly overused, the mass distribution of his motives are actually exactly what Haring intended. He wanted to make art for everyone. That was his primary goal. Everyone should be able to partake. Even those who have never been to a museum or a gallery. The artist and activist was inspired by street art and pop art. Keith Haring’s graphics appear to be happy and innocent at first glance, but often contain serious messages. The film will trace his life and his legacy.

The Twenties were the women’s decade. For the first time in history, women across the board stepped out of the shadows of men. They confidently demanded their right to societal participation.

The metropolis became the stage for new femininity. Artists of all genres celebrated their newly won freedom in its theaters, nightclubs, ateliers and film studios and became role models for millions of women.

Two films will shine a light on the life of women and artists in the hotspots of this “first feminist revolution”: New York, Paris, Berlin and Moscow.

The economically prosperous New York, the new global center of fashion, music and entertainment; Paris, the place of eternal desire and the wildly beating, cultural heart of the old world; Berlin, the new European party metropolis, ecstatically celebrating its newly attained freedom and finally Moscow, the center of the communist movement, a city faltering between euphoria and apathy, a large and highly dangerous test laboratory for the most daring social and artistic experiments.

Nursing crisis in Germany – the numbers say it all.

Of the approximately 17.7 million over 65 year olds in Germany, 2.12 million are currently cared for at home and about 868500 are being cared for in nursing homes. This number is only set to rise in the near future. Germany is in urgent need of caregivers.

The situation would be even more dramatic, if most of the elderly weren’t taken care of at home, either by relatives together with outpatient nursing services, or around the clock by 24-hour service staff. These caregivers mostly come from abroad, predominantly from Eastern Europe.

This 37 Grad episode will focus on the people who leave their home countries in order to work in geriatric care in Germany.

For centuries, white artists have predominantly painted powerful white people. Michelle and Barack Obama set a new precedent, when they commissioned two African-American painters to paint their official presidential portraits. Using this break with tradition as a starting point, the film shows the diverse aspects of the international debate surrounding the representation of marginalized groups in art. It does so by looking at paintings by predominantly African-American artists, who are increasingly claiming their place in art history with their outstanding works of art.

Towards the end of the 18th century, a new cross-genre cultural movement is starting to gain influence in Europe. The Romantic Era has begun. For the first time in art history societal developments are met with skepticism by a large number of artists, poets and musicians. The industrial revolution has changed everyday life dramatically on the European continent. Social structures erode as faith and family bonds lose their cohesion. Individuals who until then were sheltered within society are increasingly becoming directionless and rootless. The parallels to the here and now are obvious. While it was the steam engine that changed the realities of people radically two centuries ago, it is the digital revolution today. With this topical background the film reminds us of the multi-facetted and, until today, fascinating art of the Romantic Era. It describes it as a European phenomenon and portrays its artistic and ideological spectrum at the hands of different painters such as Delacroix, Wenezianow and Caspar David Friedrich.

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the UNESCO world heritage convention, the documentary series will link the past to the present and examine how the spirit of individual sites can remain vivid, valuable and inspiring for future generations. The series focuses on four important European cultural heritage sites: Arles, Aachen cathedral, St. Petersburg and the Amalfi coast. It will explain why each site has been put under the special protection of the international community, what it means for these world heritage sites, how sustainable they are and what they have to offer to future generations. The agreement, which was ratified by 193 nations, on November 16th 1972, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2022. The agreement produced a list of monuments to be declared “world heritage sites”. These have been protected by the member states since 1975. The idea of a world cultural heritage belonging to all of humanity was revolutionary.

The Gorals are an almost forgotten pastoral tribe that has maintained its traditions like no other ethnic group in Europe. They are admired for their culture, their close affinity to nature, their craftsmanship and for being down-to-earth; but by no means do they want to become a living and breathing open-air museum.

What secrets are hidden in the jungles of Honduras? Archeologists want to prove the existence of an ancient civilization over 1000 years old. The lost city is located in an area where only very few people are living today. Starting from their base camp in the east of the country, a German-Swiss expedition led by the German Archeological Institute, the university of Zurich and the museum Rietberg (Zurich) will explore uncharted territory with the help of modern technology. They will turn the area upside down scientifically in order to reveal its archeological secrets. They already know that they will be entering an area that was densely populated in the past.