ZDFE Marks Moon Landing’s 50th Anniversary with Three Docs

ZDF Enterprises is set to honor the 50th anniversary of the moon landing with a trio of documentaries from Impossible Factual, SPIEGEL TV and Gruppe 5.

Among the three titles in ZDFE.unscripted’s MIPDoc and MIPTV catalog is Magic of the Moon, a Gruppe 5 Filmproduktion three-part docuseries that will explore the moon’s secrets, the existing scientific insights into how it was formed, how it influences life on Earth and legends that surround it.

From SPIEGEL TV is The Moon Landing and the Nazis, which delves into how German engineer and National Socialist German Workers Party member Arthur Rudolph was instrumental in getting the Apollo 11 crew into space as the creator of the Saturn V rocket. In an effort to explain Rudolph’s involvement, the doc reveals how he worked for the Americans along with Wernher von Braun and other engineers from Germany after World War II but was later denaturalized and left the U.S.

Ancient Skies, currently in production by Impossible Factual, follows Jonathan Drake’s team as they offer a window into the history of humanity’s understanding of our place in the universe. It uses both animation and CGI recreations to chart how civilizations’ conception of the cosmos changed over the centuries, drawing on artifacts, notable locations and expert contributions.

Ralf Rueckauer, VP of ZDFE.unscripted, said: ”We are proud to be able to offer these three outstanding documentaries as new gems in our catalog for the upcoming MIPDoc and MIPTV.”