The Presidents' Tailor

From Auschwitz to the White House

D 2024

Maxmilian Grünfeld spoke Yiddish, lived in Czechoslovakia, lost his family in the Nazi concentration camps and had no business experience. Martin Greenfield lives in Brooklyn, speaks English, tailors suits for US presidents and runs a bespoke clothing empire with clients and friends from high society.

It is the same man who is now a 92-year-old fashion legend, tailor to US presidents and celebrities, and a bon vivant of the city. Mr. Greenfield is an hour-long documentary that tells the story of a man who, against all odds, went from being Maxmilian Gruenfeld to Martin Greenfield and how he is now coming to terms with his own legacy.

The secret of the birds

D 2021

The web series "The Secret of Birds" was created in cooperation with the author Kerstin Mauersberger. Together with the amateur ornithologist and birdwatcher Silke Hartmann, we accompany bird enthusiasts who tell us about their fascination for bird songs and birdwatching, and who cast a spell on us along the way! In addition, researchers and experts show us how birds adapt to adverse living conditions and what we humans can learn from them.

The series consists of the three episodes: "Listening and Seeing", "Researching and Understanding" and "Coming and Going", which can be accessed via the ARD Mediathek. In addition, a 43-minute summary documentary was produced for MDR.

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ARD Mediathek Episode 1 (Listen and Watch)

ARD Mediathek Episode 2 (Research and Understanding)

ARD Mediathek Episode 3 (Coming and Going)

ARD Mediathek Documentary

MDR Documentation

How are our insects doing?

D 2020

Science calls it the windshield oracle. The feeling that in the past there would have been more insects and they would have stuck to the windscreen en masse when driving on the motorway. Until recently, it was a feeling that many people shared.

In 2017 there was a confirmation of this. A study provided figures and alarmed the population and politicians. In some regions of Germany, more than 75% of flying insects have disappeared in the last thirty years. This figure could not simply be generalised, but wherever you look, the trend is clear: things are going downhill. Other alarming figures from scientific studies followed: over the last ten years, the number of insect species has decreased by 67% in grasslands and by 40% in forests. The entries of endangered or extinct species in the Red Lists are increasing year by year.

In the meantime even the Bundestag has taken up the issue of insect mortality and acted surprisingly quickly. There is an insect protection action programme of the Federal Government. The concern is justified. Insects are an important part of the ecosystem. They feed birds and mammals and thus indirectly also humans. They pollinate about 30% of our food and numerous other plants. Without them there would be a problem in vegetable and fruit growing - because not only bees pollinate flowers, but also moths and flies. It would become quiet because the birds can't find food anymore. The world around us would become monotonous and colourless. Insects are a basic building block of our ecosystem.

The scientific community now needs more facts and objective data. What is the extent of insect mortality? What consequences does it have for humans and what can be done about it? The author Kerstin Mauersberger has met with researchers* and experts to investigate these questions. The answers to these and other questions can be seen in our documentary film "How are our insects doing?", which was produced in connection with the MDR Insect Summer.

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ARD Media Library

YouTube

MDR

Gorillas under stress

D 2020

The number of wild mountain gorillas has risen to more than 1000! A rare success story in the protection of endangered animal species.

But success is linked to new challenges. The last mountain gorillas on earth live in only two very small habitats in eastern Africa. What happens if the number of mountain gorillas grows but their habitat does not?

Recent research results show: The stress level of the animals increases measurably. How strongly do conservationists and experts intervene? And what risks could become a danger to the gentle black giants in the future?

This impressive film takes the viewer into the breathtaking nature of the world's last wild mountain gorillas and explores exciting questions about species protection and the coexistence of humans and animals.

mySELFie

D 2019

When Maya is 12 years old, she suddenly loses her hair. Within two weeks, she's completely bald. She has Alopecia Areata . Maya's body repels her hair like foreign material. Two years later, she got used to her bald head. But summer is brutal. When it's too hot for a wig and cap to hide under. In Summer Maya feels naked. And she wonders: How do the others see me? Am I good the way I am? Am I beautiful? Almost like answers to these questions, Maya and her friends produce tons of selfies. And somewhere between clicking, sharing and liking, the girls grow into young women.

MySelfie is a documentary film that observes the levels of self-perception and external perception on which Maya and her friends move. It does not tell of being in love with oneself, but of the search for one's very own self and finally of love for oneself. A coming-of-age film that portrays Maya's individual destiny and the confrontation of a generation with itself.

Thuringia

D 2018

The "Thüringeti" is located on the northern edge of the Thuringian Forest on a high plateau around the municipality of Crawinkel. Where previously only moderate grain yields were achieved, juicy green now thrives. Thüringeti is the largest wild pasture project in the federal state and has covered 2700 hectares since 2004. Horses, cattle, sheep, goats and donkeys live here all year round in the open air. In 2007, biologists investigated the pastureland of the Thüringeti and the result was a sensation: the project resulted in the colonisation of about 2500 animal and plant species, which are often documented on the Red List of Threatened Species.

The first version of this film was produced for the MDR and was  2014 with the Thuringian Nature Conservation Award of the Free State of Thuringia. Since 2004, the company has been certified as organic and a member of the Biokreis e.V.. Tourism offers, conferences, nature and species conservation measures, healthy food, clean water and the vocational training of young people for agriculture are the company's contributions to regional development.

You will find the following films on the DVD:

"The Thüringeti" (40 min.)

Learn everything about the origin and history of the unique hedgerow and karst landscape of the Thüringeti on the Ohrdrufer Muschelkalkplatte.

"On safari with Michael Succow" (15 min)

Accompany the renowned biologist and conservationist Prof. Michael Succow on a discovery tour through Thuringia!