ZDF-Enterprises

The Documentary Coproduction Department is responsible in principle for all international documentary coproduction projects involving ZDF or ZDF Enterprises, irrespective of whether the project is actually supervised by ZDF, an independent producer or the international partner. However, in recent years several key genres have emerged where ZDF Enterprises is particularly active and successful. These include

• Projects relating to contemporary history, depicting in dramatic fashion the turning points of the 20th century, employing moving accounts from contemporary witnesses and rare archive footage; e. g. The Wehrmacht, Hitler's Lost Battleship, Doctors of Death, Last Secrets of the Third Reich
• Projects relating to ancient history / archaeology / expeditions, tracking down the last myths of human history and employing impressive sequences from every continent in the world; e. g. Secrets in the Dust, America Before Columbus, Planet Egypt
• Projects relating to science and technology, using in-depth research and cutting edge computer graphics to tell the true stories of great technological breakthroughs (Mission X series) or to present fascinating visions of our planet in the past, present and future (Dawn of the Ocean, Missing Link).
• Projects relating to wildlife and nature, presenting the work of the most passionate wildlife film-makers in the world who portray the last adventures of the great outdoors or convey the personal fascination of their own work (Magic Encounters, Animal River Challenge, Adventure Ocean Quest, Wild Iran, Dingo - Wild Dog at War).

In addition to the classic coproduction functions, this department also handles the arrangement and negotiation of pre-sales and pre-acquisitions, the initiation and negotiation of national and international distribution mandates, and the pre-selection of finished programs for specific ZDF slots (particularly in the genres of wildlife, science and history).

ZDF and ZDF Enterprises regularly work together with the most important documentary broadcasters and producers in the world, including the Discovery Channel, National Geographic, RTI, Mediaset, SBS-TV, NHK, France Télévision, ORF, Arte, Pixcom, Off the Fence, ITN, The Gamma Project, Essential Media, Wild Fury, Doclights - NDR Naturfilm etc.