ZDF Studios Launches Five New Nature Docs

ZDF Studios is launching on the international market five brand-new nature documentaries from affiliate Doclights, including Bee Wild!

The documentary explores the European dark bee, which disappeared from many countries in the 1970s. It shows what the life of a wild honey bee once looked like and what could be gained if they once again had more space in the woodlands. Bee Wild! is produced by Nautilusfilm for Doclights/NDR Naturfilm in association with NDR, ARTE, Terra Mater Studios and ZDF Studios.

Produced by Denali Film for Doclights/NDR Naturfilm in association with WDR, ORF, NDR and ZDF Studios, Wild Netherlands documents the methods used by the Dutch to preserve their land and its nature, which includes seals and spoonbills, red and fallow deer, marsh harriers, beavers and even otters.

Pantanal—Brazil’s Natural Miracle reveals the different and surprising factors that maintain the Pantanal wetlands region as a flourishing wild habitat and shows how this natural paradise is once more under threat. It is produced by Doclights/NDR Naturfilm in association with NDR, WDR and ORF.

In Lydia and the Giants—Into the Wild Pantanal, German behavioral biologist Lydia Möcklinghoff takes viewers on a journey into remote areas, where she sets up camera traps to record wildlife. The doc is produced by Doclights/NDR Naturfilm in association with NDR, ARTE and rbb.

The film Coming Home—Back to the Wild accompanies some of Europe’s rarest and shyest animals who’ve disappeared and now have hope of returning. It shows their journey, how they survive in their new homes and how a successful long-term strategy can only be achieved if ecosystems are protected and kept intact for animals to stay alive. It is produced by Doclights/NDR Naturfilm in association with NDR, ARTE, MDR and SWR.

Ralf Rückauer, VP of unscripted at ZDF Studios, said: “Doclights has once again presented us with a set of superb and informative natural-history documentaries. Any one of these titles would be ideal for a prime-time slot, providing great storytelling and fascinating facts for audiences of all ages.”