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Autumn 2009 sees the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which led to one of the most political profound transformations in the second half of the 20th century: the collapse of communism and the spread of democracy throughout Europe. ZDF Enterprises will present the event production "The Miracle of Berlin" for the first time to an international audience of industry specialists on the occasion of MIPTV 2008 in Cannes. This remarkable television movie about the events which preceded the reunification of Germany - with a star cast including Kostja Ullmann, Karoline Herfurth, Veronica Ferres and Heino Ferch - was made for ZDF by teamWorx ("Dresden", "The Berlin Airlift", "The Flood"), with ZDF Enterprises as co-producer. Award-winning producer, writer and director Nico Hofmann has adapted for television the true story of Tilo Koch, at one time a loyal soldier of the East German People's Army and a border guard. In the hands of the eminent director Roland Suso Richter ("Dresden", "The Tunnel", "The I inside"), this gripping story portrays the last 18 months before the Berlin Wall came down in November 1989. The lavish TV event depicts an East German family during those turbulent times, when the longing for personal freedom comes up against political convictions and personal relationships, old and new, to create powerful emotional conflicts. The 18-year-old punk Marco is determined not to turn out like his father, a high-ranking officer in the Stasi (the East German secret service). But when his father saves him from a prison sentence, Marco has to repay him by performing his military service. In the army the rebel is transformed into an exemplary soldier. However, with his mother and the love of his life, Anja, in the freedom movement, he finally comes to recognise the essential inhumanity of the "democratic" republic, with its endless networks of spies. Here the fall of the Berlin Wall is considered exclusively from an East German perspective, for the very first time. A love story and a family drama that depicts life and the atmosphere of everyday existence in East Germany from the inside, providing a new insight into those fascinating times. When it was first shown on ZDF "The Miracle of Berlin" was seen by 8.01 million viewers, representing a market share of 21.5% - and making it the most popular one-part program in the history of the production company teamWorx. This ensemble project was not only popular with audiences in general; it also attracted significant numbers of viewers aged 14 to 49 and achieved a market share of 16.5% among younger viewers. ZDF Enterprises now intends to capitalize on the successful pattern established with "The Miracle of Berlin" by co-producing, financing and marketing more event programs. Further large-scale projects with eminent producers are already in the pipeline. |
