The Story
This is a beautiful and gentle film which shows that even today in the heart of modern Europe there can still be space for wildlife. And also that the pond engineers of the Middle Ages were able to construct a system of irrigation for aquaculture that has not only worked for centuries, but shows that it is possible for humans and wildlife to live side by side, not only in the past but into the future as well.
Bohemia has a long and ancient history; the name was first recorded as Boi-Heim around the first century. Then it was the home of a Celtic tribe – the Boii. Today Bohemia is a part of the Czech Republic and seldom visited by outsiders. It is a hidden jewel in the heart of Europe, where an ancient and virtually unchanged world is surrounded by the 21st Century.
2009
HD & 5.1
16:9
50min
German & English
Production Team
Written & Directed by Michael Schlamberger, Jiri Petr ● Photographed by Jiri Petr ● Additional Camera Michael Schlamberger, Thomas Emrich, Gerhard Pock, Václav Šena ● Editor Andrew Naylor ● Grafic Omer Sacic ● Music Alexander Bresgen ● Dubbing Edit & Mix Martin Rohrmoser ●
Colourist Raimund Sivetz ● Written by Jeremy Hogarth, Sabine Holzer ● Narrated by Howard Nightingall ● Cast Gerhard Ertl, Johannes Kreimer, Karl Watzl ● Production Manager Anita Pfeffinger ● Producer Rita Schlamberger ● Executive Producer Walter Köhler ● Co-Producer Udo Zimmermann
Thanks to Allie Dunnington, Lubomir Hlasek, Marie-Theres Holler, Teichwirtschaft Gut Hornegg, Silke Klein, Paul Menzel, Teichwirtschaft Gut Waldschach, Manfred Oberdorfer, Robert Russell, Eduard Skoloud, Oskar Tiefenbach, Aleš Toman, Milan Zaleŝ
A ScienceVision production for ORF UNIVERSUM, in association with BR.
Photo Gallery
Awards
International Wildlife Film Festival Albert
France, March 2010, Nomination
ECO 2010 FESTIVAL
Macedonia, June 2010, “Best Editing Award”
Sichuan TV Festival
China, July 2010, Grand Prize for Nature
Green Screen – International Nature Film Festival
Germany, September 2010, Nomination for “Best Sound Design” and “Heinz Sielmann Filmpreis”
TOURFILM Festival
Czech Republic, September 2010, Special Prize – Prize of Czech Tourism (Prix Managing Director of Czech Tourism for the best foreign film about the Czech Republic)
TECHFILM Festival
Czech Republic, September 2010, “PRIZE FOR BEST WORK OF ART”
Matsalu Festival
Estonia, September 2010, Winner of the category “Nature”
Document Art International Film festival
Romania, September 2010, “Award for Best Photography”
Ekofilmfestival
Czech Republic, October 2010, “Prize for Best Photography”
Sondrio Festival
Italy, October 2010, “Lombardy Region” Award (for the best documentary that highlights the aspects of nature, culture, landscape and economy in protected areas within the European Union)
WILDLIFE VAASA FESTIVAL 2010
Finland, November 2010, Ostrobotnia Australis Special Award (1st Place)
JWFF 2011 (Japan Wildlife Film festival)
Japan, August 2011, “Special Jury Award”
Jury Statement: This film gives us a deep impression as a document of a beautiful forest and ponds. However, what the film tells is deeper than that. It is a drama which people illustrated in the great Mother Nature in a long period of time. The beginning of this drama is as old as five or six centuries ago. It started by making a waterway for a pond of carps. Then, the waterway gives birth to more animals and birds living in the forest. In addition, old farmers were truly wise men. Their carps gave blessings to animals and birds, and animals and birds also gave wonderful bounties to carps. An epic told magnificently and calmly in this film gives us wisdoms that we lack in the modern society. I can only say that this is a brilliant film.