ZDF Studios unveiled plans to release various new documentaries, including "Bee Wild!," "Wild Netherlands," "Pantanal - Brazil’s Natural Miracle" and "Lydia and the Giants - Into the Wild Pantanal." All of the titles will be 50’ minute films produced by or with Doclights GmbH, a ZDF Studios affiliate. “Doclights have once again presented us with a set of superb and informative natural history documentaries. Any one of these titles would be ideal for a primetime slot providing great storytelling and fascinating facts for audiences of all ages," Ralf Rueckauer, Vice President Unscripted at ZDF Studios, said.
"Bee Wild!" starts on a journey that includes never-filmed-before sequences, showing what the life of a wild honey bee once looked like before they became the world’s smallest domesticated animal. The multi award-winning cameraman and director, Jan Haft outlines what we could gain if we would once again provide more space for wild bees in our woodlands today. A New York Festivals TV & Film Awards nominee, the title is produced by Nautilusfilm for Doclights/NDR Naturfilm in association with NDR, Arte, Terra Mater and ZDF Studios.
"Wild Netherland"s documents the clever methods used by the Dutch to preserve their land that is bursting with amazing nature: seals and spoonbills, red and fallow deer, marsh harriers, beavers and even otters. And all of this is in one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. The title is produced by Denali Film for Doclights/NDR Naturfilm in association with WDR, ORF, NDR and ZDF Studios.
"Pantanal - Brazil’s Natural Miracle" reveals the different, surprising factors that maintain the Pantanal as a flourishing wild habitat; but it also reminds us why this natural paradise is once more under threat. Produced by Doclights/NDR Naturfilm in association with NDR, WDR, ORF. Lydia Möcklinghoff is a German behavioural biologist and a regular visitor to the Pantanal to study giant anteaters and their habitat. On her way she meets giant otters, jaguars, pumas, hyacinth macaws – and anteaters. Some of them are like old friends; she has known them for years. The title is produced by Doclights/NDR Naturfilm in association with NDR, ARTE, rbb.
The film "Coming Home - Back to the Wild" accompanies animals on their journey and shows how they survive in their new homes, and what challenges they need to overcome in order to reclaim their once lost ranges. Besides showing the success of some of the reintroduced species, the film makes clear that a successful long-term strategy can only be achieved if ecosystems and are protected and kept intact for animals to stay alive. The title is produced by Doclights/NDR Naturfilm in association with NDR, ARTE, MDR, SWR.