Created by Water

Wild Austria

The Story

Austria’s love affair with water has given her unique and amazing landscapes and biospheres, carved out by Alpine glaciers, ancient seas and mighty rivers, home to iconic animals like eagles, wild boar, ibex and deer.

Flowing or solid, water has astonishing power. Glaciers gouge and scrape mountains into bizarre forms over millions, sometimes just thousands of years. Receding, they scoop out and fill lakes, but even these finally dry out and the forest takes over. Rivers and waterfalls slice through mountains dragging millions of tons of gravel to the lowlands, spreading new habitats: nesting for little ringed plover, or beds for airborne sycamore seeds that root and bind the new land. Goldeneye ducks nest in abandoned woodpecker holes high in trees beside the river. Once a dozen siblings have hatched, the tiny ducklings leap after their mother, dropping up to ten metres to the water below. Straightaway they can swim. But learning to fish takes a bit more time – and plenty of error! In Austria‘s world famous bird sanctuary, Lake Neusiedl, the cuckoo conceals its intentions well. Hiding in the reeds, it fools some birds – but not all – into raising its demanding and murderous offspring.

The two-part-series “Wild Austria – Created by Water” melds overwhelming spectacle with miniature high drama in a portrait of a country where water in all its forms brings beauty – and life.

Part 1: White water, Blue water
Part 2: The Flow of Time

2016 - 2018

4K & 5.1

16:9

2x 50min

German & English

Production Team

Written and Directed by Rita Schlamberger Michael Schlamberger ● Photography Jiří Petr, Michael Schlamberger ● Additional Photography Oldřich Mikulica, Rolando Menardi, Kurt Kracher, Mario Cater, Florian Heusgen ● Aerials Irmin Kerck, Oliver Kunz ● Editor Omer Sacic ● Music David Mitcham ● Orchestra Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava ● Soloists Zabine Kapfinger (Vocal), Daniel Fuchsberger (Schrammel Guitar), Ernst Gottschmann (Steirische Harmonika), John Parricelli (Guitar), Johannes Rohrer (Zither), Michael Whight (Clarinet), Warren Zielinski (Violin) ● Writers Jutta Karger, Michael Schlamberger, Andrew Solomon ● Narrator Andrew Solomon ● Dubbing Editor and Mix Martin Rohrmoser ● Colourist Willi Willinger ● Scientific Advisor Lubomir Hlásek ● Production Manager Anita Pfeffinger ● Unit Managers ORF Elisabeth Faber, Gabriele Wistawel ● Executive Producers Rita Schlamberger, Michael Schlamberger ● Commissioning Editor ORF Birgit Peters ● Commissioning Editor doclights/NDR Naturfilm Britta Kiesewetter ● Commissioning Editor ARTE G.E.I.E. Jörg Krause ● Series Editor ORF Andrew Solomon ● Head of Factual ORF Gerhard Klein

Thanks to Agrargemeinschaft Eng Alm, Andreas Eppacher, Heinz Frötscher, Ronald Hillerbrand, Josef Hlásek, Ivan and Luděk Hovorka, Elisabeth Kuefstein, Kupelwieser Forstverwaltung, Donauauen, Gesäuse, Hohe Tauern, Neusiedlersee and Thayatal National Parks, Österreichische Bundesforste, Kurt Pinter, Herbert Schmid, Václav Šena, Strasser Harmonika, Attila Szilagyi, Reinhard Thaller, Robert Thüringer, Alfréd Trnka, Günter Unfer.

A Co-Production of ScienceVision, ORF Universum, ARTE and NDR Naturfilm/doclights, in Association with ORF Enterprise, supported by Cine Styria, Land Oberösterreich, Oberösterreich Tourismus , Land Niederösterreich, Land Kärnten, Carinthia Film Commission and Cine Tirol Film Commission.