ORF-E
English
1 x 52 min / 1 x 45 min
Worldwide

Germany is a land of contradictions. It is full of high tech, urbanization, tremendously busy transport routes, industry, and intensive agriculture. Although for a few years now, right at its center, there’s also been a wilderness where nature flourishes freely; an area that is even home to a large predator, feared by many: the wolf. It is no coincident that Germany’s returning wild wolves chose to make their first home here. They’re swarming out into the surrounding countryside and colonize more cultivated areas. The film guides viewers through all four seasons in this new and extraordinary wilderness. We follow a pair of cranes from their arrival at the end of the winter to their departure for the wintering grounds in autumn. Another protagonist is the wolf, a family of wolves, a pack, who allow us to access an experience that has never been put on camera in Germany before. This lavish documentary is a high-gloss production with fascinating drone footage and techniques including super slow motion and time lapse sequences. All the images show original wildlife, without a single shot of animals from enclosures or any other “controlled” conditions. Unspoilt nature and true wilderness. A rarity in Germany and in Europe.