PASSION FOR PLANET
THEATRICAL DOCUMENTARY, 98 Min., A FILM BY Frei Werner Schuessler
FIVE ADVENTURES. ONE GOAL.
PASSION FOR PLANET takes us on an adventure around the globe. In front of the most spectacular natural backdrops and wildlife observations we dive into the universe of the world’s best wildlife filmmakers. Facing the pain of the destruction of the natural world, they now have to ask themselves:
Can We Save Our Love?
A timeless tribute to these audacious heroes.
HOW IT CAME ABOUT...
THE INSPIRATION
“Already as a child, a great passion for nature and the large mammals of the African continent was kindled in me. I would have gladly followed this longing. The waves of life took me elsewhere.
But the longing remained: the desire to explore the reality of life as a wildlife filmmaker….
And in the midst of filming, the realization: they are not only animal lovers and obsessed with images. Their hearts are also so intimately intertwined with Mother Earth and her well-being. Watching them evolve into passionate environmental warriors and activists moved me deeply.”
Frei werner schuessler
DIRECTOR, WRITER, PRODUCER
OUR PROTAGONISTS
ROB STEWART (CAN)
“Humans are clearly more unpredictable and dangerous than sharks.”
Young, visionary filmmaker from Canada, who immediately delivered the most commercially successful documentary film of his home country to date with his debut film, the multiple award-winning “Sharkwater”. Through the experiences of the film, Rob became an environmental activist and feels called upon to make his contribution to “saving the planet”. In doing so, he takes radical, provocative and risky paths.
MICHAEL SCHLAMBERGER (A)
MICHAEL SCHLAMBERGER (A)
“What really drives me is the desire to create images. I’m completely disinterested once I don’t have a camera in my hand.”
Austrian physician, renounced his medical career out of enthusiasm for nature. Michael is one of the most successful nature filmmakers in his country and has received many international awards for his glossy images (including Romy winner (Austrian Film and Television Award), Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, NaturVision Award).
RITA SCHLAMBERGER (A)
“We don’t have children. It wasn’t a conscious decision, but the lifestyle as a nature filmmaker is not very child-friendly.”
The biologist often travels together with her spouse Michael. Rita takes care of the business part of their joint company and also makes her own film projects. The warm-hearted couple have become specialists in linking the history of man with nature.
RITA BANERJI (IND)
RITA BANERJI (IND)
“In India, human and nature issues are closely linked. This is not a matter of ‘either – or’. There must be protection for both sides.”
Nurtured by her strong love for nature, Rita was able to assert herself in this male-dominated profession and in her male-dominated homeland. More and more she is preoccupied with the search for solutions in the field of tension between humans, animals and nature in overpopulated India. Among other things, she was awarded the “Panda”, the Oscar of animal filmmakers, for her commitment.
MARK SHELLEY (USA)
“We have to face the fact that we humans are part of an ecosystem. Whether this is overtly visible or not, humans have a significant impact on this system.”
Marin biologist, eco-rebel, maverick, visionary, with the great gift of storytelling, found himself in life-threatening situations time and again during his film projects. Today, Mark also tries to exemplify sustainable living in a practical sense: As an organic farmer.
JAN HAFT (D)
JAN HAFT (D)
“I find local nature just as exciting as faraway exotic ones.”
Bavarian biologist and likeable family man who, with technical perfection in his mass-awarded films, lets us discover our own homeland with new eyes. Again and again he inspires cinema audiences with masterpieces such as “The Green Planet”. Jan is a fighter for nature out of deepest conviction.
FURTHER CONTRIBUTING STARS OF THE INDUSTRY
During our research, they gave us indispensable insights into their work in long interviews
EXCERPTS OF INDIVIDUAL CONVERSATIONS CAN BE FOUND ON THE FILM-DVD
Sir David Attenborough (GB)
Living legend of BBC nature films, in the business for more than seventy (!) years, participated in a large number of films as writer, director, producer, presenter and narrator and decisively shaped the style of BBC nature and wildlife films, which is now considered a model worldwide.
Alastair Fothergill (GB)
Alastair Fothergill (GB)
Andreas Kieling (D)
Andreas Kieling (D)
The “Bear Man,” whose yearning for nature first led him to flee former East Germany under fire, has worked his way up to currently being Germany’s best-known wildlife filmmaker thanks to his daredevil ways. In his search for the unprecedented, he constantly dares to take on new risky challenges, whether it’s extreme proximity to grizzly bears, fighting moose or crocodiles.
Beverly & Dereck Joubert (ZA/BW)
Meanwhile already legendary filmmaker couple from South Africa, which aligns its actions entirely with the goal of education for the protection and preservation of nature. Only a few are so consistent and uncompromising.
Doug Allan (GB)
Multi-award winning Scottish BBC cameraman, both underwater and above water, with a fondness for the Arctic and Antarctic, has filmed various “first ever seen”, and is a gifted storyteller. To him we owe, among other things, the images of whale-hunting orcas in “Planet Earth”.
Kim Wolhuter (ZA)
Kim Wolhuter (ZA)
South African, with a great sense of humor, has inherited the love of nature from his father, who died early, and his grandfather, the first ranger in the Kruger National Park. After starting out as a ranger, he has most recently focused on hyenas and wild dogs as a multi-award winning filmmaker, spending nights and also most of the day in the bush for several years.
Matthew Aeberhardt (GB)
Bird nut, cinematographer, director and active environmentalist, has made a declaration of love to the flamingos of Lake Natron in Tanzania with “Crimson Wings,” the first nature film produced by Disney.
Didier Noirot (F)
French underwater cameraman, who already worked for Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and meets the great white shark without a cage, participated in “The Blue Planet”, “Planet Earth” and “Our Oceans”, among others.
Sarah Robertson (CAN)
Together with her partner Adam Ravetch, she specializes in the Arctic region. For their mainstream family cinema film “Arctic Tale” they have assembled their footage from 15 years of observing polar bears and walruses into a moving story.
Alastair Fothergill (GB)
Alastair Fothergill (GB)
Was once the shooting star of the BBC Natural History Unit, zoologist, became its director at 32, but resigned from it at 35 to have more time for his passion of filmmaking. To him we owe, among others, the BBC films “Our Blue Planet”, “Planet Earth” (the most commercially successful nature film of all time), “Icy Worlds” and “Chimpanzees”.
Matto Barfuss (D)
Action artist (“Barefoot Across the Alps”), “enfant terrible,” painter, gallery owner, photographer, filmmaker and book author, attracted public attention at the age of 19 with his barefoot crossing of the Alps; later through his “life” with a wild cheetah family in the Serengeti. Because of his non-objective approach to cheetahs as well as the humanization of his objects, he is strongly criticized by colleagues. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, he effortlessly fills the halls on his lecture tours.
Wolfgang Bayer (A/USA)
Originally a mechanic, he emigrated to the U.S. in the 1950s to pursue his love of nature with his own film projects. A survived heart attack, during which he was already clinically dead for seven minutes, made him sell all his possessions to show his family the beauties of this world on a two-year journey with his own ship, documented in his film “Earthling”. Today he lives as a still restless “pensioner” in Hawaii.
Barrie Britton (GB)
Zoologist and multiple award-winning BBC cameraman, specialist for bird shots, is often flown in specially for these purposes, e.g. for “Galapagos”, “Planet Earth”.
Beverly & Dereck Joubert (ZA/BW)
Meanwhile already legendary filmmaker couple from South Africa, which aligns its actions entirely with the goal of education for the protection and preservation of nature. Only a few are so consistent and uncompromising.
John Brown (GB)
Biologist and awarded BBC cameraman, director, chairman of the International Association of Wildlife Filmmakers, contributor to many BBC productions.
Justine Evans (GB)
One of the few women among BBC nature filmmakers, with a penchant for shots involving climbing skills, she shot the night sequences of lions hunting elephants for “Planet Earth,” among other projects.
Patrick Morris (GB)
Multiple award-winning BBC producer, director and screenwriter, involved in “Galapagos”, “Wild Africa”, among others.
Andreas Kieling (D)
Andreas Kieling (D)
The “Bear Man,” whose yearning for nature first led him to flee former East Germany under fire, has worked his way up to currently being Germany’s best-known wildlife filmmaker thanks to his daredevil ways. In his search for the unprecedented, he constantly dares to take on new risky challenges, whether it’s extreme proximity to grizzly bears, fighting moose or crocodiles.
Paul D. Stewart (GB)
Zoologist, freelance BBC cameraman and director, had to wait out the entire day for weeks in a tiny hiding place to observe the mating behavior of birds of paradise for “Planet Earth,” among other things. While filming Bats in Texas, he became infected and became critically ill. For “Galapagos,” he lived on the islands for a year and a half.
Bob Poole (USA)
Growing up in East Africa, he came to his later profession as a cameraman by chance when he joined a film production as a teenage driver. Now an expert in aerial photography, he has since worked on countless productions for National Geographic, Discovery, BBC and others.
Mani Mirsadeghi (IR)
Iranian filmmaker who promotes environmental and conservation issues in his home country. He has won the Wildscreen Award for Filmmakers from Developing Countries.
Doug Allan (GB)
Multi-award winning Scottish BBC cameraman, both underwater and above water, with a fondness for the Arctic and Antarctic, has filmed various “first ever seen”, and is a gifted storyteller. To him we owe, among other things, the images of whale-hunting orcas in “Planet Earth”.
Hannah Smith Walker (USA)
Multiple award-winning up-and-coming filmmaker, with an interest in new media and combining children’s and environmental issues, told us about her “struggle” to establish herself in this professional field.
Helen Johnson (GB)
In her clear desire to work her way up to become a wildlife cinematographer, the young Englishwoman keeps her head above water with a variety of jobs.
Katie Schuler (USA)
Young American, belongs to the new generation of wildlife filmmakers. Creative with her own ideas, she consistently goes her way into the business of wildlife filmmaking.
Kim Wolhuter (ZA)
Kim Wolhuter (ZA)
South African, with a great sense of humor, has inherited the love of nature from his father, who died early, and his grandfather, the first ranger in the Kruger National Park. After starting out as a ranger, he has most recently focused on hyenas and wild dogs as a multi-award winning filmmaker, spending nights and also most of the day in the bush for several years.
TEAM
Individual competences for an unifying goal.
| Featuring | Rita Banerji Jan Haft Michael Schlamberger Rita Schlamberger Mark Shelley Rob Stewart | ||
| Written, Directed and Shot by | Frei Werner Schuessler | ||
| Editors | Annette Muff BFS Johanna Czakalla BFS Stine Munch BFS | ||
| Music Composed and Performed by | Jörg Magnus Pfeil Siggi Mueller Patrick Puszko | ||
| Script Consultant | Keith Cunningham | ||
| Sound | Stephan Schneider Frei Werner Schuessler Moritz-Julian Sucker | ||
| Sound Design, Dialogue Editor & Sound Mix | Dominik Avenwedde | ||
| Producers | Frei Werner Schuessler Arek Gielnik | ||
| Commissioning Editors | Gudrun Hanke-El Ghomri Ulrike Becker | ||
| A Production of | ¿are u happy? films Indi Film | ||
| Coproducer | SWR | ||
| In Cooperation with | SRF | ||
| With the Support of | MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg FFF Bayern DFFF | ||
| Heartful Thanks | to our Sponsor robotX (Stephan Hauser) | ||
| and our Crowdfunding Supporters at Indigogo and passionforplanet.com |
| Also Featuring | Paul Wildman Julie Andersen Mark Addison Markus Msali Naas Lindeque Lucy Shelley Ernie Kovacs Bob Talbot Sumit Sisodiya Karl Mayer Katie Pofahl Simon Werry Mario Samson Kay Ziesenhenne Gerhard Tilke Carla Braun-Elwert Paul Watson Sandrine Hazan Alo Tshetsholo Naro Elizabeth Shelley Anselm Haft a. o. | |
| Additional Video and Audio Footage Courtesy of | Dusty Foot Productions (Rita Banerji and Team) nautilusfilm (Jan Haft and Team) ScienceVision Filmproduktion (Michael Schlamberger and Team) Sea Studios Foundation (Mark Shelley and Team) Sharkwater Productions (Rob Stewart and Team) Hope Production André Laubner Ocean Ark Alliance (David Hannan and Team) Paul Wildman PRETOMA Scubazoo Images | |
| Film Extracts Courtesy of | The Wild Meat Trail © Dusty Foot Productions Sharkwater © Sharkwater Productions Revolution © Sharkwater Productions Saving Otter 501 © Sea Studios Foundation | |
| Casting Camera | Moritz-Julian Sucker | |
| Additional Aerial Footage | Alexander Wolf Zubeyir Mentese | |
| Production Manager | Frei Werner Schuessler | |
| Production Manager SWR | Thomas Lorenz | |
| Associate Producer | Sonia Otto | |
| Production Assistants | Alina Schäfers Francesca Schulz Matthias Staudinger Johanna Stegmann Konstantin Stell Robin Treier Philipp Wunderlich | |
| Production Accountants | Dietmar Ratsch Bianca Becker Nadine Lehmann | |
| Sound Pre-Mix | Peter Riegel | |
| Foley Artist | Otger Kunert | |
| Colour Correction, Title Design & VFX | Fabian Spang | |
| Technical Editing Supervisor & Online Editor | Philip Rämsch | |
| Pre-Editor | Nina Bärmann BFS | |
| Postproduction Coordinator | Dietmar Ratsch | |
| Transcription | Maria Akingunsade Jens Apitz Uli Armstrong Russel Autrey Sarah Brendecke Sabine Frech Silvia Hafner-Scholz Claudia Katzmeier Anne Esther Meyer Johanna Schaich Laila Sieber Joanna Tscharntke Maria Zimmermann | |
| Translation | Russel Autrey Dave Booker Frei Werner Schuessler | |
| Subtitles & Translation | Thomas Cooper Veronika Sandkühler Annika Vieweg Marianne Kühn | |
| Graphic Design | Till Schumann | |
| Location Guide Namibia/Botsuana | Marcelo Trautmann | |
| Researchers | Marcelo Trautmann Sonja Beutelmann | |
| Legal Consultant | Sascha Zieglmeier | |
| Production Consultant | Tina Schmitt | |
| Insurance | Caninenberg & Schouten | |
| Marketing | Benjamin Cölle Bettina Schwerthöffer | |
| “Life is a Journey” | Written and Performed by Roland Joubert Lyrics by Frei Werner Schuessler Produced, Recorded and Arranged by Roland Joubert Courtesy of Vertigo Stone Music | |
| Thanks to the Many People and Organisations that Enthusiastically Helped with the Realisation of this Film | Randall Arauz (PRETOMA) Sibylle Blum SPIRO Druck-VerarbeitungsGmbH Richard Berrett BS KINETICS Underwater Housings GmbH David and Jane Collins Martin Hammond David Hannan and Peter Simon (OCEAN ARC ALLIANCE) HEMINGWAYS Livingstone (Pete Hemingway and Wilson Phiri) HOHE TAUERN NATIONALPARK JACKSONHOLE WILDLIFE FILMFESTIVAL (Carrie Noel Richer, Lisa Samford and Team) JACKSON LAKE LODGE Clint Jones KORTWICH Film Ton Technik André Laubner MARRIOTT HOTEL Bristol MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM (Karen Jeffries and Team) NORTH EAST NETWORK India Chizami PANALUX Bristol (Chris Thompson) Michael Pitiot (HOPE PRODUCTION) PROTEA HOTEL Livingstone RODNEY HOTEL Bristol (Harriett and Team) UNITED AIR CHARTER Livingstone (Ignatius, Mario and Samson) Sally Vaughn Team at WATERSHED CINEMA Bristol Philipp Weigold Paul Wildman WILDSCREEN Bristol (Charlotte Geeves, Amy Nicholas and Team) Yüksel Yilmaz and Our Transcribers | |
| Our Particular Thanks to | Udo Zimmermann Melanie Haft Anita Pfeffinger Sabine Rollberg Udo Zimmermann The Co-Workers at: Dusty Foot nautilusfilm ScienceVision Sea Studios Foundation and Sharkwater Productions as well as fechnermedia (C. Fechner and Team) | |
| Thanks for your Great Support | Russell Autrey Michael Blumberg Dave Booker Olaf Greifzu Jay Moss Marcus Mangeot Malika Rabahallah Daniel Salzwedel Stephan Schneider Till Schumann FARBSEITEN.DE Tal Skloot Hannah Smith Walker Moritz-Julian Sucker Ulrike Tortora Marcelo Trautmann Torsten Truscheit Maria Zimmermann | |
| The Director Thanks | Hildegard Schuessler Otto Schlaugat Kurt Schuessler Carola Basten Thomas Beyerle Claudia Ehrhardt Gudrun Frank Roland Gockel Alexander Hölsch Sarah Moll Christof Romahn Dirk Schamuhn Erhard Schütz Bettina Schwerthöffer Annette Vossler And All Friends Who Supported Me on This Long Journey Along with All Its Challenges, and Our Audience for Their Feedback during Our Test Screenings | |
| The Producers Thank | Carl Bergengruen Gabriele Röthemeyer Dieter Krauss Oliver Zeller Dorothee Martin Klaus Schaefer Julia Rappold Adina Mungenast Cornelia Hammelmann David Kussel Isabelle Glaue Kristin Holst Martina Zöllner Jürgen Dossinger Camino Filmverleih (Thomas Reisser Kamran Sadar Khan Marcus Machura Zakar Istepanian Bianca Fischer and Team) | |
| Special Thanks to Our Main Protagonists | Rita Banerji Jan Haft Michael and Rita Schlamberger Mark Shelley and Rob Stewart for Their Open-Mindedness and Participation |
| Also Featuring | Paul Wildman Julie Andersen Mark Addison Markus Msali Naas Lindeque Lucy Shelley Ernie Kovacs Bob Talbot Sumit Sisodiya Karl Mayer Katie Pofahl Simon Werry Mario Samson Kay Ziesenhenne Gerhard Tilke Carla Braun-Elwert Paul Watson Sandrine Hazan Alo Tshetsholo Naro Elizabeth Shelley Anselm Haft a. o. | |
| Additional Video and Audio Footage Courtesy of | Dusty Foot Productions (Rita Banerji and Team) nautilusfilm (Jan Haft and Team) ScienceVision Filmproduktion (Michael Schlamberger and Team) Sea Studios Foundation (Mark Shelley and Team) Sharkwater Productions (Rob Stewart and Team) Hope Production André Laubner Ocean Ark Alliance (David Hannan and Team) Paul Wildman PRETOMA Scubazoo Images | |
| Film Extracts Courtesy of | The Wild Meat Trail © Dusty Foot Productions Sharkwater © Sharkwater Productions Revolution © Sharkwater Productions Saving Otter 501 © Sea Studios Foundation | |
| Camera Casting | Moritz-Julian Sucker | |
| Additional Aerial Footage | Alexander Wolf Zubeyir Mentese | |
| Production Manager | Frei Werner Schuessler | |
| Production Manager SWR | Thomas Lorenz | |
| Associate Producer | Sonia Otto | |
| Production Assistants | Alina Schäfers Francesca Schulz Matthias Staudinger Johanna Stegmann Konstantin Stell Robin Treier Philipp Wunderlich | |
| Production Accountants | Dietmar Ratsch Bianca Becker Nadine Lehmann | |
| Sound Pre-Mix | Peter Riegel | |
| Foley Artist | Otger Kunert | |
| Colour Correction, Title Design & VFX | Fabian Spang | |
| Technical Editing Supervisor & Online Editor | Philip Rämsch | |
| Pre-Editor | Nina Bärmann BFS | |
| Postproduction Coordinator | Dietmar Ratsch | |
| Transcription | Maria Akingunsade Jens Apitz Uli Armstrong Russel Autrey Sarah Brendecke Sabine Frech Silvia Hafner-Scholz Claudia Katzmeier Anne Esther Meyer Johanna Schaich Laila Sieber Joanna Tscharntke Maria Zimmermann | |
| Translation | Russel Autrey Dave Booker Frei Werner Schuessler | |
| Subtitles & Translation | Thomas Cooper Veronika Sandkühler Annika Vieweg Marianne Kühn | |
| Graphic Design | Till Schumann | |
| Location Guide Namibia/ Botsuana | Marcelo Trautmann | |
| Researchers | Marcelo Trautmann Sonja Beutelmann | |
| Legal Consultant | Sascha Zieglmeier | |
| Production Consultant | Tina Schmitt | |
| Insurance | Caninenberg & Schouten | |
| Marketing | Benjamin Cölle Bettina Schwerthöffer | |
| “Life is a Journey” | Written and Performed by Roland Joubert Lyrics by Frei Werner Schuessler Produced, Recorded and Arranged by Roland Joubert Courtesy of Vertigo Stone Music | |
| Great Thanks to the Many People and Organisations that Enthusiastically Helped with the Realisation of this Film | Randall Arauz (PRETOMA) Sibylle Blum SPIRO Druck-Verarbeitungs- GmbH Richard Berrett BS KINETICS Underwater Housings GmbH David and Jane Collins Martin Hammond David Hannan and Peter Simon (OCEAN ARC ALLIANCE) HEMINGWAYS Livingstone (Pete Hemingway and Wilson Phiri) HOHE TAUERN NATIONALPARK JACKSONHOLE WILDLIFE FILMFESTIVAL (Carrie Noel Richer, Lisa Samford and Team) JACKSON LAKE LODGE Clint Jones KORTWICH Film Ton Technik André Laubner MARRIOTT HOTEL Bristol MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM (Karen Jeffries and Team) NORTH EAST NETWORK India Chizami PANALUX Bristol (Chris Thompson) Michael Pitiot (HOPE PRODUCTION) PROTEA HOTEL Livingstone RODNEY HOTEL Bristol (Harriett and Team) UNITED AIR CHARTER Livingstone (Ignatius, Mario and Samson) Sally Vaughn Team at WATERSHED CINEMA Bristol Philipp Weigold Paul Wildman WILDSCREEN Bristol (Charlotte Geeves, Amy Nicholas and Team) Yüksel Yilmaz and Our Transcribers | |
| Our Particular Thanks to | Udo Zimmermann Melanie Haft Anita Pfeffinger Sabine Rollberg The Co-Workers at: Dusty Foot nautilusfilm ScienceVision Sea Studios Foundation and Sharkwater Productions as well as fechnermedia (C. Fechner and Team) | |
| Thanks for Great Support | Russell Autrey Michael Blumberg Dave Booker Olaf Greifzu Jay Moss Marcus Mangeot Malika Rabahallah Daniel Salzwedel Stephan Schneider Till Schumann FARBSEITEN.DE Tal Skloot Hannah Smith Walker Moritz-Julian Sucker Ulrike Tortora Marcelo Trautmann Torsten Truscheit Maria Zimmermann | |
| The Director Thanks | Hildegard Schuessler Otto Schlaugat Kurt Schuessler Carola Basten Thomas Beyerle Claudia Ehrhardt Gudrun Frank Roland Gockel Alexander Hölsch Sarah Moll Christof Romahn Dirk Schamuhn Erhard Schütz Bettina Schwerthöffer Annette Vossler And All Friends Who Supported Me on This Long Journey Along with All Its Challenges, and Our audience for Their Feedback during our Test Screenings | |
| The Producers Thank | Carl Bergengruen Gabriele Röthemeyer Dieter Krauss Oliver Zeller Dorothee Martin Klaus Schaefer Julia Rappold Adina Mungenast Cornelia Hammelmann David Kussel Isabelle Glaue Kristin Holst Martina Zöllner Jürgen Dossinger Camino Filmverleih (Thomas Reisser Kamran Sadar Khan Marcus Machura Zakar Istepanian Bianca Fischer and Team) | |
| Special Thanks to Our Main Protagonists | Rita Banerji Jan Haft Michael and Rita Schlamberger Mark Shelley and Rob Stewart for their Open-Mindedness and Participation |
Individual competences for an unifying goal.
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DVD
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PRESS INFORMATION - (IN GERMAN)
PRESS INFORMATION -
(IN GERMAN)
Further press information and background information on the film (press kit, pictures, AND MORE) can be found at our partner'S (Camino FILMVerleih) website:
www.passionforplanet.de
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