Resurrecting Eden: Catalonia

THE REBIRTH OF A RIVER

For decades, the Riu Besòs in Barcelona was one of the most toxic rivers in Europe. Untreated sewage turned its once clear water into a toxic broth that flooded the city during high tides. People hated the river so much that they bordered it with concrete walls and avoided to get close to it. But consequent nature conservation brought about an astonishing turnaround: Today, the Besòs is a species-rich natural paradise in the middle of the big city. A clear river in which fish such as eel and chub live and birds such as little ringed plovers, herons and kingfishers find food and breed. Even otters have been spotted here. Today, many Barcelona residents have learned to love their Riu Besòs again – the city’s green oasis.

TEAM: A film by David Perpiñán and Ulf Marquardt // Camera: David Perpiñán, Marcel Herrmann, Ulf Marquardt // Editor: Jan Wilm Schmülling // Sound: Markus Ruf // Music: Thomas Wolter // Sound mixing: Florian Ebrecht // Animation: Anastasia Wagner // Color correction: Dany Schelby // Narrator: Yvon Jansen// Production management: Katja Sträter (Längengrad), Katharina Krohmann (ZDF) // Executive producers: Sarah Zierul, David Perpiñán, Thomas Weidenbach // Commissioning editor ZDF: Ann-Christin Hornberger
Produced by Längengrad Filmproduktion in co-production with Concolor Media, in cooperation with ZDF and in collaboration with ARTE.