ORF received outstanding recognition at this year’s World Media Festival 2025 in Hamburg. At the recently concluded “Television & Corporate Media” competition, several documentaries from ORF’s cultural programming as well as the “Universum Nature” brand received accolades in the “Documentary” category. These award-winning productions are distributed worldwide by ORF-Enterprise.
The acclaimed intermedia-globe Gold Award was presented to “A Theater for a Symphony”, directed by Barbara Weissenbeck and produced to mark the 200th anniversary of the world premiere of Beethoven’s iconic Ninth Symphony at Vienna’s “Kärntnertor Theater”. The film brings the historic venue back to life and offers fresh insights into Beethoven’s creative process and the dramatic circumstances of the symphony’s debut. The co-production of ORF, WDR, and Filmwerkstatt Wien offers a compelling exploration of a musical milestone.
“The Imperial Crown – Myth, Mystery and Majesty” (A co-production of ORF, ARTE, and EPO-Film), directed by Klaus T. Steindl, received another Gold Award. Exploring the enduring enigma of the “Reichskrone”, one of Europe’s most significant crowns and a symbol of power in the Holy Roman Empire for a millennium, the film follows leading scientists as they investigate its mysterious origins and cultural legacy, taking viewers on a journey through 1,000 years of European history. This documentary presents recent and fascinating insights from an international research project on the legendary crown of the Holy Roman Empire.
The intermedia-globe Silver Award was given to “Saalbach-Hinterglemm – Where Nature Comes Out On Top”, a “Universum Nature” documentary by filmmaker Therese Engels, produced ahead of the 2025 Alpine Ski World Championships. Set in a region renowned for its alpine tourism, the film follows the delicate balance between thriving wildlife and human activity, revealing how nature and people co-exist in this unique landscape. This co-production by Interspot Film and ORF explores the co-existence of wildlife and tourism in this unique region.
Moreover, “The Real Jungle Book”, an international “Universum Nature” highlight, also received a Silver Award. Inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s classic tales, the film journeys into the jungle of modern India to reveal the real animals and dramatic survival stories that inspired the legendary characters of “The Jungle Book”. Filmed entirely on location, it follows the daily and seasonal struggles of wolves, tigers, elephants, and other animals as they navigate the challenges of the natural world. Directed by Jeremy Hogarth and Kalyan Varma, this film is a collaboration between ORF, dreiD.at, Drishyam Films, NDR-Naturfilm Doclights, and ARTE G.E.I.E.