WILDLIFE

Gorilla gorilla gorilla (2022)

In the remote rainforests of Gabon, primate researcher Martha Robbins and her team have achieved an extraordinary feat. They have gained the trust of a group of wild, elusive Western Lowland Gorillas. Western Lowland Gorillas have been researched extensively in captivity but their behaviour in the wild has been a mystery. Shy by nature, the wild gorillas normally avoid close human contact – until now.

Robbins is from Germany’s prestigious Max-Planck-Institute. For 15 years she and her team have monitored the group, amassing invaluable data. In the early days they kept their distance from the gorillas. As the team gained their trust, the Atananaga gorillas became more accepting.

This is the first blue-chip documentary about Western Lowland Gorillas, and the first time that the behaviour of this elusive species has ever been captured on film.

Written and directed by Harald Pokieser, Photography by Stephan Krasser, Camera Assistance and Aerials: Johannes Berger, Florian Lorenz, Edited by Jörg Achatz, Music composed by David Mitcham, Narrated by Mercedes Echerer, Margit Maurer, Sound Mixing by Matthias Ermert, Scientific consultant: Martha Robbins, Production team: Mariella Bleimuth, Grace Ntahinta, Anita Pfeffinger, Production management: David Steinbach, Toni Nemeth, Executive producers: Roman Landauer, Dinah Czezik-Müller, Producer: Birgit Peters

A co-production of Terra Mater Studios and Doclights / NDR Naturfilm in association with National Geographic Channels. (50:00 minutes)

Colombia – wild and free (2021)

Episode 1: Two Rivers
Episode 2: From the Pacific to the Andes

The Republic of Colombia is a largely unknown natural paradise. Many national parks were closed off for decades as a result of the country’s guerrilla wars. During the conflict the fighters of the FARC and ELN became the kings of the wilderness, establishing their camps and drug laboratories in remote mountainous regions, the Amazon and the expansive plains of Orinoco province.

The guerrillas spread fear and terror but also unintentionally acted as armed guards for the local wildlife, preventing the expansion of human settlements, economic development and logging in the last remaining sections of untouched rainforests.

Only now, following successful negotiations and peace treaties between the government and the large guerrilla factions, is it becoming possible to explore the true beauty and diversity of Colombia’s nature.

First aired in the United States on May 18, 2022 on KPBS (52:00 minutes per episode)

Written and directed by Harald Pokieser, Narrated by Natalia Reyes, Photography: Ivo Nörenberg, Christian Stolz, Underwater photography: Nuno Sá, Additional photography: Magdalena Pokieser, Johnny Mauricio Vargas, Camera-Assistance and Sound recording: Stephan Schultz, Hermann Winklhofer, Magdalena Pokieser, Music composed by: David Mitcham, Edited by Jörg Achatz, Location Managers: Felipe Amando Pinzón, Johnny Mauricio Vargas, Sound Design: Bernhard Zorzi, Foleys: Otger Kunert, Re-Recording Mixer: Martin Sachsenhofer, Colorist: Lee Niederkofler, Production Manager: David Steinbach. A production by Cosmos Factory in co-production with ORF, Doclights/NDR, PBS (USA), ARTE GEIE in collaboration with ORF-Enterprise. (2 x 50:00 minutes)

Awards: Deauville Green Awards/Gold Trophy

Wild Uganda (2018)

All the magic of eastern Africa is combined in Uganda. There are savannahs, papyrus swamps, bushland and rainforests. For this documentary, we managed to capture two extraordinary events that have never been filmed before: The mountain gorillas of Bwindi National Park are the only mountain gorillas that climb up to fifteen meters into the treetops to eat ripe fruit. The second event concerns the legendary cave elephants of Mount Elgon. With the help of a newly developed camera, we managed to film the gray giants deep inside the caves in high resolution 4K.

Written and directed by Harald Pokieser, Photography: Warren Samuels, Christian Stolz, Sound recording and Camera-Assistance: Hermann Winklhofer, Edited by Jörg Achatz, Music by Andy Baum, Dubbing Mixer: Stefan K. Fiedler, Colorist: Lee Niederkofler, Graphic design: Christine Puchner, Scientific advisors: Martha Robbins, Kevin Langergraber, Sam Angedakin, Location Manager: Rachel Thompson, Sajid Darr, Production Managers: Toni Nemeth, Judith Hamberger (TMFS). A co-production of Terra Mater Factual Studios and National Geographic and Doclights/NDR Naturfilm produced by Cosmos Factory.

Awards: New York Festivals/Silver World Medal

The Leopard Rocks (2017)

Leopards are considered loners. But in northwest India, a special place allows them to display a completely different behavior. Here, leopards live in close proximity and they drag their prey into rock caves rather than up trees. Their habitat is a hilly part of the Aravalli Mountains, geological relics of the oldest folded mountains on the Indian subcontinent. The leopards have to share their home range not only with monkeys and peacocks, but also with the inhabitants of the surrounding villages.

Written and directed by Harald Pokieser, Photographed by Christian Stolz, Klaus Illitsch, Günther Kieberger, Akshay Singh, Camera-Assistance and Sound recording: Hermann Winklhofer, Magdalena Pokieser, Edited by Jörg Achatz, Music by Andy Baum, Narrator: John Shrapnel, Dubbing Mixer: Stefan K. Fiedler, Colorist: Lee Niederkofler, Location Managers: Toby Sinclair, Oliver Saurabh, Production Managers: Toni Nemeth, Judith Hamberger. A co-production of Terra Mater Factual Studios and Smithsonian Networks produced by Cosmos Factory.

Awards: New York Festivals/Bronze World Medal

Namibia – Sanctuary of Giants (2016)

Namibia is more than twice the size of Germany but has a population of just two million people. No country in Africa would appear to have more space for wild animals, but appearances can be deceptive: the large cattle farms with their enormous grazing pastures and hundreds of thousands of small farms are taking up more and more territory.

Conflicts between humans and wild animals are becoming more pronounced, as is poaching. Rhinos and elephants are in constant danger. However, there is hope: government departments, biologists and private businesspeople have come up with fascinating strategies to preserve these icons of wild Africa.

Written and directed by Harald Pokieser, Photographed by Harald Mittermüller, Dani Purer, Francois Botha, Frederik Füssel, Steffen Bohnert, Mathias Lackner, Michael Lang, Camera Assistant & Sound: Haiko Boldt, Eva Mittermüller, Michael Müllner, Alexander Jenny, Hermann Winklhofer, Editor: Michael Ranocha, Music composed by Andy Baum, Dubbing Mixer: Stefan K. Fiedler, Colorists: Christian Vollenhofer, Lee Niederkofler, Location Manager: Elnette Pearson, Production Managers: Toni Nemeth, Judith Hamberger, A Terra Mater Factual Studios Production in co-production with National Geographic Channel produced by Cosmos Factory. (50:00 minutes)

Awards: New York Festivals/Silver World Medal

Expedition through the reeds (2015)

The blood-red sphere of the sun sinks beneath the horizon, and the calls of waterbirds and raptors cut through the twilight. This is the westernmost point of the Orient, Austria’s only steppe lake.

When you think of Austria, you think of high mountains and the Alps. In the far east, however, the country borders the Asian steppe. It is flat, sweltering hot and dry – a landscape that you might think is in the middle of Africa.

At the center of this exotic European habitat lies Lake Neusiedl, surrounded by a gigantic reed belt – the second largest contiguous reed area in Europe after the Danube Delta. The heart of this jungle is protected by a cross-border Austro-Hungarian national park. Life in the depths of the reeds is a well-kept secret. Anyone who dares to walk in will lose their bearings within minutes without any aid. In the deep mud, every single step is an effort, and there is also the heat, mosquitoes and the constant wind that knocks your ears off.

Written and directed by Manfred Christ, Photography by Tomáš Hulik, Christian Stolz, Additional Photography: Klaus Achter, Mike Fried, C. & M. Hochleithner, Rudolf Diesel, Rudolf Eis, Hubert Doppler, Istvan Nadaskay, Camera-Assistance and Sound Recording: Hermann Winklhofer, Gregor Haushofer, Nino Pfaffenbichler, Aerials: Thomas Kirschner, Irmin Kerck, Music by Roman Kariolou, Dubbing Mixer: Stefan K. Fiedler, Graphic design: Christine Puchner, Edited by Jörg Achatz, Colorist: Lee Niederkofler, Production Manager: Toni Nemeth. A co-production by Cosmos Factory, ORF, BR in association with Burgenland Tourist Board and Nationalpark Neusiedler See (50:15 minutes)

Nile – The ultimate River (2014)

Episode 1: Mountains of the Moon
Episode 2: Wild Waters
Episode 3: Lifeline in the Desert

Two qualities define the Nile as the ultimate river. First, it is the world’s longest river. From the source in Rwanda to the end at the Mediterranean Sea, it travels 4130 miles. Second, the Nile is a truly cosmopolitan water. Its source lies in tropical Africa, its most important tributary – the Blue Nile – originates in the Ethiopian highlands. Its longest stage – through Sudan and Egypt – is characterized by Arab influences. Travelling through a sea of sand, this river gives life. It passes Africa’s largest city – Cairo – and ends only a few hundred kilometers away from Europe, in the Mediterranean Sea.

The films explore the wilderness along the river’s banks, but also venture into remote regions to reveal their natural treasures in a way never seen before: the source of the Nile in the Rwenzori Mountains, the inaccessible swamps of Sudan, the drainage basin of the Blue Nile in the Ethiopian highlands and the dramatic deserts of Egypt.

Written and directed by Harald Pokieser, Co-directors: Clare Dornan, Manfred Christ, Photography: Francois Botha, Hubert Doppler, Pete Hayns, Udo Mauer, Ian McCarthy, Harald Mittermüller, Erich Pröll, Aerial photography: Simon Werry, High speed photography: Rudolf Diesel, Jan Haft, Camera-Assistance and sound recording: Johannes Berger, Andreas Hagemann, Gerd Hägele, Gail Jenkinson, Josef Krainer, Roland Mittermüller, Oliver Schill, Martin Stoni, Hermann Winklhofer, Edited by Jörg Achatz, Music composed by Andy Baum, Sound editor: Birgit Obkircher, Dubbing mixer: Stefan K. Fiedler, Graphic design: Jörg Achatz, Mark Beckmann, Christine Puchner, Colorists: Christian Vollenhofer, Lee Niederkofler, Location managers: Firew Ayele, Kasasa Mago Ayuub, Kivu Ruhorahoza Daddy, Paul Goldring, John Hunwick, Agnes Larubi, Hawash Mohamed, Magdy Rashidy, Lual Ruun, Jim Seyler, Assistant producer: Linda Kettler, Researcher: Honor Peters, Production managers: Toni Nemeth, Judith Hamberger. A Terra Mater Factual Studios production in co-production with National Geographic Channel in association with France Télévisions and WDR produced by Cosmos Factory.

Awards: New York Festivals/2 Gold World Medals, US International Film and Video Festival/Certificate for Creative Excellence, Sondrio Festival, Italy/Audience Award, Mountainfilm International Filmfestival, Austria/Kamera Alpin Austria (best Austrian production), International Nature Film Festival, Hungary/Second Prize in „Nature Films“-category, Wildlife Vaasa International Nature Film Festival, Finland/Best Water & Underwater Film (Episode 1)

Hyaena – Queen of the Masai Marai (2012)

The unusual portrait of a much-maligned hunter, the hyena – a dramatic story built around the competition for prey and territory and the fight for survival.

The setting is Kenya’s legendary Masai Mara. Michigan State University biologist Kay Holekamp and her team travel into hyena territory, observing from the air and the ground. Kay reveals the extraordinary intelligence of the hyenas, hunting tactically in groups, always led by females; hyenas also launch crafty solo attacks on their favorite prey, Topi antelopes; and even hunt flamingos. Lions, cheetahs and hyenas form a triangle of top predators on the savannah. They steal from, attack and harass one another and will kill each others’ young if they get the chance.

Surprisingly, this film suggests that of them all, the hyena may well be «Number One», Queen of the Masai Mara.

Written and directed by Harald Pokieser, Photographed by Warren Samuels, Richard Jones, Aerial photography: Simon Werry, Sound recordists: Chris Brennan, David Jalenga, Edited by Jörg Achatz, Music composed by Andy Baum, Narrated by Dominic Frisby, Dubbing mixer: Stefan K. Fiedler, Graphic design: Christine Puchner, Colorist: Christian Vollenhofer, Location manager: Jean Hartley, Production Manager: Toni Nemeth. A co-production by ORF, Cosmos Factory and Fremantle (50:00 minutes).

Awards: CINE TV Festival, Washington DC/Golden Eagle Award

Sea of Creepy Monsters (2010)

This terrifying film takes place off the northern tip of Sulawesi, in the strait that separates Sulawesi from the small island of Lembeh. Nowhere else in the Earth’s oceans do we know of a place quite like this, with so many different and rare species assembled in one spot.

For about the past 15 years, this fascinating world has been explored by visitors from distant countries. In their quest for places off the beaten track, the Austrian veterinarians Claudia and Manfred Hochleithner first arrived here many years ago.

They have since spent hundreds of hours underwater with their video camera. Their patience has paid off. Just like their investment in video cameras that can film sea creatures that normally hide from the diver’s gaze – an exciting, new world of underwater film.

 The dive sites are rarely more than twenty meters deep, visibility is only fair, and the water appears more greenish than blue. Large tracts of the underwater scenery are covered with lava sand and garbage. But the underwater critters quickly put these souvenirs of civilization to their own use.

Written and directed by Manfred Christ, Photography by Claudia & Manfred Hochleithner, Additional Photography by Harald Mittermüller, Sound recording by Hermann Winklhofer, Editing by Adam Wallisch, Music composed by Andy Baum, Narrated by Howard Nightingall, Graphic design: Christine Puchner, Dubbing Mixer: Stefan K. Fiedler, Polio Brezina, Colorist: Christian Vollenhofer, Location managers: Tania van Aert, Rivo Tambanaung, Production manager: Toni Nemeth. An ORF production, made by Cosmos Factory (51:05 minutes)

Awards: PELAGOS 14th Festival Internazionale del Mare, Rome/Best TV Documentary

Laos Wonderland (2005)

Southeast Asia at its best. 85% of the country is untouched nature, widespread forests, steep mountains and wide river valleys, but also cool high plateaus and savannahs. The primeval forests support a fauna like something out of a fairy tale, with elephants, tigers, leopards, and some of the rarest animal species on the planet.

Species never seen by humans are discovered at regular intervals. In recent decades, the few large mammals to be described for the first time were all found in Indochina and experts assume that most of them are at home in Laos: wild oxen such as the Saola and Kuprey or the Truong Son muntjak. No outsider has ever seen a living specimen of the latter; its existence is only known indirectly.

And there is the Mekong, one of the last untamed rivers on Earth. Fed by hundreds of tributaries, it is one of the richest freshwater systems on the planet, comparable only with the Congo or Amazon. This is where the Mekong catfish live. At 3 meters long and weighing in at 300 kilograms, this monster must be the largest freshwater fish on earth.

Written and directed by Harald Pokieser, Photography: Harald Mittermüller, Camera assistance and sound recording: Hermann Winklhofer, Edited by Jörg Achatz, Dubbing Mixer: Stefan K. Fiedler, Music composed by Andy Baum, Wladimir Diuljan, Foley artist: Karl Königsberger, Colorist: Christian Vollenhofer, Location management: TV-Asia Co. Ltd., Production manager: Toni Nemeth. A co-production by Cosmos Factory, ORF, WDR/NDR and Devillier Donegan Enterprises (DDE).

Land of the Rising Sun (1997)

East of the Austrian Alps lies a wide plain and a large lake. Here you will find more water than land, more sky than earth and more light than shadow. At Lake Neusiedl, every morning is a spectacle. And the horizon is a stage for the sun’s grand entrance.

The wide plain is one of the most valuable natural landscapes in Europe. Lake Neusiedl forms a border, separating the Alpine foothills from the small Hungarian lowlands. Part of it lies in Austria, part in Hungary – as does the Neusiedlersee-Seewinkel National Park.

Humans have contributed to the biodiversity of this area: the almost treeless, steppe-like area is the result of centuries of grazing.

Written and directed by Harald Pokieser, Manfred Christ, Photography: Josef Neuper, Tomi Szommer, Harald Kerck, Underwater photography: Gerhard Pock, Camera assistance: Klaus Achter, Bernhard Wallentin, Edited by Karl Königsberger, Music composed by Christos, Balloonist: Josef Huber, Set design and animal husbandry: Klaus Bittermann, Günter Schultschik, Anton Weissenbacher, Tracker: Franz Antonicek, Scientific advisors: Alois Herzig, Arno Hain, Location management (Hungary): Istvan Nadaskay, Production management: Gilbert Petutschnig, Commissioning editor: Walter Köhler. A co-production of ORF, WDR and Cosmos Factory, supported by the Neusiedlersee/Seewinkel National Park Society (50:15 minutes)

Awards: Montana International Wildlife Film Festival/Merit Award for Photography, Merit Award for Educational Value