Three handfuls of life

EPISODE 1: “TOO SMALL FOR THIS WORLD?”

EPISODE 2: “HELLO WORLD!”

When Tanja and Johannes see their children for the first time, they are shocked: Elouise, Francis and Luis weigh less than 1000 grams. The triplets are lying in the intensive care unit for premature babies at Darmstadt Hospital. They were born by emergency caesarean section in the 25th week of pregnancy: tiny little babies who are now on tubes, ventilated and constantly monitored. A team of nine doctors and nurses are fighting for their lives around the clock.

The two-part documentary accompanies the premature babies and their parents through the highs and lows of their time in hospital and the first few months at home – a time full of hope and fear, anxiety and happiness.

TEAM

Writer and director: Claudia Ruby // Producer: Meike Hemschemeier // Camera: Sven Kiesche // Sound: Ole Schmidt // Editor: Jan Stefan Kolbe // Assistant editor: Anastasia Wagner // Music: Sebastian Haßler // Sound mixing: Alexander Weuffen // Production assistant: Julia Wittler // Production manager: Marta Herrmann // Line producer: Katja Sträter // Executive producers: Thomas Weidenbach, Sarah Zierul // Commissioning editors: Britta Windhoff, Sophie Schulenburg (WDR) // Produced by Längengrad-Filmproduktion on behalf of WDR