THE WILD EIFEL

GERMANY’S WILD WEST – THE EIFEL

Germany’s most populous federal state still has room for wild animals. And within North Rhine-Wesphalia, the Eifel region combines an extraordinary range of near-natural refuges with landscapes largely shaped by human intervention. Ever since people settled in this region, it’s been a crime scene – crime against nature. Forests fell victim to the axe, cliffs were blasted and quarried. Rivers dammed and soils despoiled. Left behind at the Eifel crime scene were deforested areas, artificial lakes, residential settlements and farmland, with a serious impact on the flora and fauna. But in fact there is more wildlife here than you might suspect. With breathtaking images, the film tells amazing stories of the animals in Germany’s Wild West that have learned to coexist successfully with their human neighbours.

TEAM
Written and directed by: Herbert Ostwald // Camera: Erik Sick // Film editor: Maximilian Narkovic // Additional footage: Robin Jähne, Norbert Porta, Jörg Siepmann, Hans-Jürgen Zimmermann, Sebastian Koerner // Sound: Bastian Barenbrock, Martin Ziebell, Luana Knipfer, Ralf Gromann, Daniel Hallmann // Music: Mark Joggerst // Sound design: Karl Atteln // Sound mix: Alexander Weuffen // Commentary: Philipp Schepmann // Colour Correction: Dany Schelby // Production assistant: Laura Bleifuß // Production manager: Katja Sträter // Executive producer: Thomas Weidenbach, Sarah Zierul // Commissioning editor: Gabriele Conze