Documentary movies

He is the most sought-after man in Europe in the 1960s. Lex Barker embodies the flawless hero in his films and, as Old Shatterhand, becomes a role model for generations of fans. Revered in Europe, misunderstood and almost forgotten in his native America. But who was this American who rode through Yugoslavia in a leather costume for the European audience? In 1973, Lex Barker died of a heart attack on the streets of Manhattan in New York. But no one recognizes the man who was Tarzan in Hollywood. Nobody knows him or cares about that he, as Winnetou's friend, is revered as an icon in Europe. Lex Barker's European western adventures are just a footnote in American film history. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his death, the documentary tells the story of one of the most beautiful men who ever flickered across Europe's cinema screens, for whom European cinema proved to be a stroke of luck and for whom a failed Hollywood career took him via Italy to Germany.

Be it as ‘Unreal Tournament Kid’, ‘KeyboardCrasher’, or ‘Angry German Kid’: Almost everywhere across the world this video of a youth who freaks out whilst playing on the computer and destroys his keyboard is known. Many still share it today as a meme when chatting without knowing that it was staged. Also: the young guy never uploaded the video himself. Powerless, he had to witness how it was shared and distorted countless times – how it destroyed a part of his life. Now, for the first time, Norman Kochanowski speaks with ZAPP about his story and the consequences of virality.

Groundbreaking psychiatrist and author Elisabeth Kübler-Ross dedicated her career to working with the incurably ill. In this intimate documentary filmed near the end of her life, Kübler-Ross relates her life story, from childhood to her final years. Friends, family members and colleagues weigh in with insightful observations and share their memories of this remarkable woman whose innovative concepts helped spawn the field of thanatology.

In recent years, the number of diagnoses of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder has skyrocketed. What are the reasons? Does a society geared towards efficiency use the label ADHS to weed out anyone who does not fit its frames? What are the consequences of the fact that medication treatment has become almost ubiquitous? Could Ritalin and the like have become the doping of the performance society?

13 years after the premiere of "7 oder warum ich auf der Welt bin", we meet them again: the 7 children from all over the world. How did they find their way into adulthood?

The rugged Swiss mountain valley of Bregaglia has produced an entire dynasty of artists: the Giacomettis. Alberto revolutionised the art world with his slender sculptures. Before him, his father was an Impressionist of the first hour. What makes this valley the birthplace of so many artists?

Meetings with readers, acquaintances and contemporaries of writer Uwe Johnson at the places where he lived. Volker Koepp, who is also from Pomerania, looks for Johnson’s sophisticated literary voice in the landscapes of the region they both stem from.

She was a muse, model and performer – a star, dazzling and intense. Lady Shiva managed to rise from street prostitution to the top. She lived in the fast lane and died tragically young. Her dream was to become a singer. With her companions, we trace her life during a vibrant time that kindles a yearning and provokes until today. The story of a woman’s meteoric fate and a great dream. An irrepressible desire for freedom in all its beauty and destructive force - and a stirring friendship and love.

The remarkable 83-year-old Helga Schubert lives in the remote landscape between Schwerin and Wismar. Her days are filled with the loving care of her sick 95-year-old husband, Johannes Helm, once a professor of psychology and passionate painter. But amidst this rural tranquility, Helga is anything but idle. Every day she dedicates herself to her passion, writing.

Increased screen time, excessive robotisation, the reign of the car, home delivery... At a time when new technologies are making sedentary lifestyles more explosive than ever, here's a look at some initiatives designed to get us moving again.

Dieu Hao Do, whose parents found refuge in Germany and were part of the Chinese minority in Vietnam, embarks on a very personal journey to meet his relatives on three continents. He confronts his mother, encounters his aunts and uncles in Germany, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City and asks, “What are your memories of the war in Vietnam? Of the exodus? And how did the refugee experience and torn-apart state of the family affect you over the years?” And he wants to know: “Can the trauma of war be inherited?”

documentary about the mysterious death of german hacker Karl Koch aka hagbard.

In Curious Tobi and the Treasure Hunt to the Flying Rivers, adventurer Tobi needs to find his best friend from childhood Marina, the only person who can help him unlock a mysterious treasure chest. Tobi’s search for Marina kickstarts an adventure that takes him to the greatest and most stunning places in the world. Always with one goal in mind: solving the riddle of the treasure chest and finding the mysterious flying rivers.

In the 20th century, authorities in Switzerland placed over 100'000 children and adolescents in homes and foster families. The measures were implemented mainly for moral reasons and affected socially marginalized families in particular. The parents had hardly any success in legal proceedings against these decisions. Instead of fighting poverty, the state fought the poor. In the participatory ethnographic documentary "And then we were taken away", two men in their sixties talk about the administrative foster care they experienced as a child. They lead the audience to the homes, locations of their tumultuous youth and to their favourite places. Through their biographies, the men document how out-of-home placements shaped their childhood, youth and present.

Few personalities have shaped the political landscape in Austria in such a short time, polarized discussions and emotionalized people. Celebrated, criticized, admired, demonized. A portrait of a man whose name has become synonymous and a mystery.

For more and more people, food not only has to be tasty and healthy, but also good for the climate. Five alternatives to classic foods are being put to the test. Can they meaningfully supplement our diet? This documentary goes in search of answers with the vegan star chef Ricky Saward and health experts Irina Blumenstein, Sandra Ulrich-Rückert and Margareta Büning-Fesel.

Through post-porn, performance and wrestling, Puck tries to figure out her place in the world.

Who was Marisa Mell? The personae Marisa Mell and Marlies Theres Moitzi, the famous Graz actress’ real name, are juxtaposed in the documentary Feuerblume several companions, such as Christine Kaufmann, and her friend Erika Pluhar, remember the actress. The film is also an attempt to illuminate and question the role of women in the film business of the 1960s and 1980s from a contemporary gaze and feminist perspective, and against the backdrop of the MeToo movement.