1 x 52 min. / 1 x 44 min.

The Vikings made history as fearless explorers and conquerors. To this day, they are celebrated as heroes. But is this justified? Viking society was determined by human trafficking and slavery, which allowed the Viking world to expand and to win the reputation and admiration it still holds today. Why did the Vikings hunt humans? For the first time, a docu-drama illuminates the history of the Vikings and their slaves. It’s time to tell the story of the forgotten ones – the “Victims of the Vikings”.

2 x 45 min. / 2 x 52 min.

From the storm-tossed peaks of the Großglockner in the National Park Hohe Tauern in the West, to the Danube-Auen National Park. In between, the impressive rock formations of the Gesäuse National Park, right next to the deep forests of the Kalkalpen National Park. From the sunburnt salt lakes of the Neusiedler See-Seewinkel National Park, to the smallest national park in the picturesque Thayatal. In rich and vivid images, this two-part UNIVERSUM documentary sheds light on the achievements of recent decades, but also on the challenges that national parks face today besides preserving the untouched nature.

1 x 52 min. / 1 x 43 min.

The Bears are Back! Once scarcely seen in central Europe, shaggy 300 kg brown bears, are once again padding through Slovenia’s Alpine forests and crossing borders into Austria and Italy. This film opens our eyes to bears’ enormous power, intelligent curiosity and surprising habits. Featuring the spectacular Karawank peaks with their harsh north faces and gentler southern slopes, this blue chip UNIVERSUM documentary follows a young brown bear on his quest for a territory to call his own.

2 x 52 min.

The echo of gunfire died in Colombia’s forests. For decades, rebel groups held out in the great national parks. They spread terror – but paradoxically they also protected the pristine forests. Now that peace has been declared, the country can reveal its natural glories: snow-capped mountains and glaciers, rainforests, mysterious tepui table mountains, thundering waterfalls, swamps, savanna, lonely coasts – and a dazzling and extraordinary variety of wildlife.

1 x 52 min.

Native Americans called the Hudson River “Mahicantuck – the river that flows both ways.” This could be just another industrial river where tree-lined banks and fields alternate with bridges, docks, factories or brickyards. From the peaks and forests of the Adirondacks to the Atlantic depths, the Hudson’s vast, untamed wilderness never ceases to astonish with each breeding cycle and season. It’s a testament to humans’ efforts to conserve nature and to nature’s ability to thrive in the shadow of a giant metropolis.

1 x 50 min.

In their first documentary, filmmakers Manuel Hammelsbeck and Ulrike Hallas present a very special island, far from civilization. In the Russian Arctic, right on the date line, lies Wrangel Island. Even in the last Ice Age, Wrangel was never completely glaciated, which made it the ultimate refuge for all arctic animals and plants to this day . The film makes it clear how unique and sensitive this ecosystem is and what dramatic effects climate change has on the island, its inhabitants, the Arctic and thus on the entire biosphere.

1 x 52 min. / 1 x 45 min.

Lush, wet and mild, the stunning landscape of the Scottish Highlands is a wonderful place for wildlife. It’s also ideally suited to make Scotland’s world famous drink – Whisky. In this magical, evocative film, we follow the stories of a special cast of animal characters whose lives are closely entwined with a highland and an island distillery. The traditions of the Highland year also unfold in the film. The singing of Auld Lang Syne at New Years Eve, the harvest of barley and the blessing of the river itself with a dram of the drink Scots Gaelic speakers call – uisge beatha – The Water of Life.

80 x 25 min.

Normally, animal shelters are the last refuge for unfortunate creatures, but in Namibia, there is a different kind of shelter: a ten thousand hectare orphanage – a haven for wild animals. The residents are rather exotic– lions, baboons and cheetahs. The two-legged stars of the series are the volunteers. Their tasks are rather unusual too: driving straight into the bush to feed lions and cheetahs, taking daily walks with a hoard of crazy baboons, capturing runaway meerkats and learning how to bottle-feed leopard cubs and 440 pound rhino babies.