When walking through the cities of Transylvania one meets strangely clad creatures. The men wear a black suit, a large black brimmed hat and an impressive moustache. The older men have side-whiskers. The women wear colorful long pleated skirts and headscarves with flower patterns. They call themselves “silk gypsies”. They are very proud people and many of them are quite well off. Their lives are regulated by strict rules. They are endogamous, meaning they exclusively marry within the group. The Gábor live very isolated lives and don’t allow outsiders inside their community. For the first time, the film provides an insight into their world.
Between Tradition and new beginnings in the 21st Century
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.
Arshan is 10 years old and lives in a small, sleepy hippie village not far from Los Angeles. He wants to become a singer, a real opera singer. For three years now, Arshan has been taking part in the Youth Opera Camp, a camp founded by the New York opera singer Rebecca Comerford. She immediately noticed that Arshan is special. Not only does he have almost perfect pitch, he also has a very distinctive and unique voice. But Arshan has so much to do, he barely has any time to practice. Chopping firewood, milking the goats, feeding the cows, watering the large fruit garden and taking care of his small sisters together with his two brothers…This year Arshan would love to get the main part in the upcoming opera production of the Ojai Youth Opera. It would be amazing, if Arshan were to find himself in the spotlight singing for the entire village. And should the piece be successful, Rebecca plans a tour through California, maybe even through the entire USA.This would be a dream come true for Arshan!
Art and splendor in the age of absolutism
During the reign of August the Strong, Saxony experienced a cultural peak. Pompous self-dramatization was his most important instrument to enforce and preserve his claim to power, thereby following in the footsteps of his idol Ludwig the XIV and just like him, he became the example of an absolutist ruler. But this came at a price. The ambitious plans and projects of the Saxon monarch overburden the country. After the baroque fireworks of the Augustinian era, the economically exhausted and militarily beaten Saxony disappears from the European political landscape in the mid 18th century.
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.
Dancing on fire
Every year on the 21st of May, the day of St. Constantine and St. Helen, the inhabitants of two remote mountain villages in the picturesque Strandzha Mountains gather at sunset to dance on hot coals while screaming ecstatically. Dancing on fire is supposed to bring good health and fertility. The ritual is part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The documentary film accompanies two women, the oldest Nestinari of the village, her every day life and her preparations for the dance and a young woman, who hasn’t been living in the village for a long time and now lives in a modern town. She will return to the village to dance through the fire for the very first time.
a two part series
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.
From East to West – on Nepal’s highways
A two-part documentary series
Nepal: one of the poorest countries on earth and yet a fairytale-like, mystical kingdom of gods and a spiritual paradise.
A country between rain forests and mountain deserts, tropical hot regions and icy cold mountains. A country of ancient cultures and a turbulent history, a religious country between tradition and modernity, a country which is inhabited by almost 100 tribes and ethnic groups who speak just as many languages. While the South is mostly inhabited by Indo-Aryan tribes, the North is predominantly populated by Mongolian tribes from Central and East Asia. Among them innumerous mountain tribes and Tibetan Sherpas.
Both films explore interesting and impressive locations in this unique country along the Mahendra Highway, the only continuous road leading from East to West, the main artery of the country.
A cruise to the North
A two-part documentary series
We are on a cruise ship on the Baltic Sea – in the footsteps of the Hanseatic League and the Tsars in the North of Europe. The journey combines unique nature with historical highlights and is very popular with German tourists. During the trip, the passengers experience the vast Polish coastlines on the Baltic Sea, the Curonian Spit and wildly romantic skerry landscapes in Finland and Sweden. The „MS Ocean Majesty“ docks in the old ports of Tallinn, Riga and Gdansk but also in the famous metropolises St. Petersburg and Stockholm, places rich in centuries-old history.
We experience the cruise on the Baltic Sea together with the passengers during the „White nights“. This is particularly appealing but also exhausting for both the travellers and the crew. When night becomes day there is always something to see. No matter whether on the high seas, in the ports or during an evening stroll in one of these fascinating cities.
Eastern European caregivers
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.
the fight against fat
The amount of people suffering from excess body weight or obesity continues to increase worldwide.
In the year 2015, 2.2 billion people were overweight; that is every third person. German statistics are even worse with one in two people being overweight.
So far bariatric surgery appears to have the best success rates in weight reduction. It is however a risky procedure with many potential side effects. Losing weight with conservative methods, like diet and exercise, takes a long time and requires a lot of discipline and dedication.
Medical research continues to run on full speed in order to support the process of conservative weight loss with effective medication.
The film will accompany three protagonists over a long period of time during their various attempts at reducing their weight. We will hear from scientists, doctors and nutritionists about the latest research on the origins of obesity.
telekult Film und Medienproduktion GmbH
Kremmener Str. 6
10435 Berlin
Tel. +49 30 / 44 67 37-6
E-mail: info@telekult.de
telekult Film- und Medienproduktion GmbH
Kremmener Str. 6
10435 Berlin
Tel. +49 30 / 44 67 37-6
E-mail: info@telekult.de