Documentaries
Aladin and Ali Baba - Stories from the Arabian Nights?
Hardly any other work of world literature has fascinated humanity as much as the stories from the Arabian Nights. But the most famous stories such as Aladin or Ali Baba do not belong to the original canon at all. In 2012 the true author was discovered in the Vatican library - the Syrian Hannah Diyab - a world sensation. The history of the most famous collection of stories in the world has some surprises in store!
Written and directed by: Thomas Staehler
Produktion für ARTE 2023
Genre: Dokumentation, 52 min
Bavarian ghost stories
Bavarian ghost stories
Haunted stories belong to Bavaria like beer and lederhosen. For centuries, scary stories have been passed down from all corners, about white women, werewolves, poltergeists and ghost cats. Bursting light bulbs, noises from the wall, terrify people. Goosebumps are guaranteed when ghost hunters try to make contact with the afterlife. The film takes the viewer on a spooky, breathtaking journey into dense forests, castle ruins and castles in the mist. "Bavarian Ghost Stories" tries to get to the bottom of the phenomena, informative and entertaining at the same time. Psychologist Lydia Benecke answers the question why we humans perceive ghosts and want to believe in their existence. What is there to these legends?
Written and directed by Oliver Halmburger
Koproduktion mit BR 2022
Genre: Dokumentation, 44 min
Mysterious Neuschwanstein Castle
No other place is as charged with myths, longings and secrets as the royal Neuschwanstein Castle. The foundation stone was laid on 5 September 1869. Previously unknown photos of the construction site, intimate diary entries by the young Ludwig and unpublished descriptions by the village chronicler condense and fathom the phenomenon of Neuschwanstein. The childhood dream of a young prince becomes the most exciting building project in the world.
A castle built for just one person - Ludwig II, the fairytale king. Neuschwanstein Castle is inextricably linked with the tragic fate of the Bavarian king.
Previously unknown photos of the large construction site, intimate diary entries by the young Ludwig and unpublished descriptions by the village chronicler condense and fathom the phenomenon of Neuschwanstein. Is it the work of a wasteful madman, or the ingenious conception of a misunderstood genius? What is certain is that it is the childhood dream of a king who has fallen out of time.
"The king's sudden death has given the castle a flying start in its career as a tourist attraction," says Ludwig, Prince of Bavaria, a relative of the fairytale king. "It's a built fantasy. You're not in a house, you're in a dream."
Today it is not only a symbol of Bavaria, but a legend whose unbroken appeal reaches around the world.
Written and directed by Oliver Halmburger
Koproduktion mit BR 2019
Locations: Neuschwanstein Castle
Genre: Documentary, 45 min / 52 min
Saudi Arabia - The Rise of the House of Al Saud
Saudi Arabia bears the name of the clan that made the country a kingdom in 1932. Its power goes back to a pact that combined religious devotion with political calculation. The Arabian Peninsula is where Islam originated.
Production 2020 for ZDF, Terra X
Buch und Regie: Oliver Halmburger, Heike Schmidt, Thomas Staehler
Genre: Documentary, 43min.
Ordinary Men - The Forgotten Holocaust
Six million Jews were murdered during the Second World War. Four million died in the death camps, but two million people were killed in systematic mass shootings. The perpetrators came face to face with their victims. They shot men, women, children - day after day, obediently and assiduously, as if it were normal work. Tens of thousands of Germans belonged to the mobile commandos of the Einsatzgruppen and police battalions. Who were these men, how could they commit such murders? What did the few survivors report, how did they escape the mass deaths and live on with the cruel experience?
Written and directed by: Manfred Oldenburg, Oliver Halmburger
Production: broadview, 2021 for ZDF
Genre: Dokumentation, 43Min
