Since its foundation in 2001, Berlin based Context TV GmbH produces mainly non-fictional audiovisual content for the German and international markets.

Originally specialized in the field of scientific-historic expeditions, especially in the under-water segment, previous productions included documentaries exploring the wrecks of the “Titanic” and the “Bismarck” (for ZDF, ABC, USA, a. o.) and productions like “Lost off Mozambique” (ZDF), “Unternehmen Alicia – Der lange Weg zu U-1195” (for ZDF, Discovery Networks Europe, WGBH Nova, Discovery Communications, a. o.) and “Exercise Tiger” (co-produced with Arte, ABC/USA). In addition, Context produced “The Cowboy and his Sub”, a 6-episode series for Discovery, and the film “Underwater Dreammachine” for WGBH-NOVA. Context still realizes productions fitting this profile and is one of the most important production companies in this field today.

In the course of restructuring the company in 2006, Context expanded the production range. Besides the production of international prime time documentaries in HD, the development and production of films for cinematic release as well as serial formats became an important segment. Furthermore, all new Context TV projects will be supported by online activities.

Universality and originality are two important criteria for the selection and development of Context’s stories. Examples for this approach are documentaries like “Shooting Under Fire”, a film depicting the work of REUTERS news photographers in Israel and Palestine, which received the Deutsche Fernsehpreis 2005 (production for WDR and National Geographic International), or “Between Ghandi and Hitler” (for WDR/BR/ARTE and Telepool) about the Indian freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose and his alliance with Nazi Germany.

Many other Context productions get sold in the international market, among others “The Ghost Fleet of Bikini Atoll” (for ZDF and Discovery Science a. o.) about the USA’s nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll, which was one of the most successful episodes of ZDF series Terra X in 2009.

Recently completed was the expedition film about Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen, “Roald Amundsen: Lost in the Arctic” (www.searchforamundsen.com), produced among others for National Geographic US and ZDF/Arte. Also just produced for National Geographic US as well as for National Geographic International was the film “Nazi Secret Science”.

Heike Bachelier’s film “The Stasi File of ‘Hans Kramer’” aka “Enemy Encounter” about a Stasi case and its consequences for the affected protagonists has been completed recently and is ready for cinematic and festival release. The one-hour TV version of the film has just been nominated for the History Makers Award 2010 in New York. Another recent delivery is the production “2 Rembrandts in the Garden” by Jerzy Sladkowski, following a protagonist on the tracks of his ancestors to find a buried family treasure (a. o. for ARTE, Channel 4, TVP, SBS, SVT, DR and MDR).

Since 2006, the development and production of serial formats is another important field: Context TV produced and co-developed 9 episodes of the format “Fat Machines”, featuring German star Jürgen Vogel, for Discovery’s channel DMAX and got thereby successfully established in this program segment. Two seasons of “Wildlife Nannies” followed, a format accompanying keepers in rescue stations and animal nurseries. The first season was produced under the title “S.O.S. Tierbabys” (30 x 45’), had a successful run in the afternoon program of ZDF and was then adapted as “Wildlife Nannies” (20 x 30’) for the New York Cablevision subsidiary VOOM, while the second season (24 x 30’) was produced entirely for VOOM as “Wildlife Nannies” and went through Studio Hamburg for international release. So far, the series is shown in more than 20 countries and is accompanied by a popular website: www.wildlife-nannies.com

The latest series developed and produced by Context TV is the successful children’s series “Katrin and the World of Animals” for Super RTL (52 x 11’). This semi-fictional docutainment format focuses on a girl, who in each episode presents one animal species in a fictional plot. Among others, the show received the “Weisser Elefant” of the Munich Filmfest and is a finalist for the renowned Prix Jeunesse.

Context collaborates with most relevant German and international TV channels like ZDF, ARD, ARTE, Discovery Channel, WGBH NOVA, ABC, National Geographic, BBC, Channel 4, TF, CNN, PBS, and has built an extensive global network of creative and production partners.

A small efficient team of full-time staff and freelancers implements the entire production, from first idea to final cut. At Context TV we work with the newest technology, among other things we use a tape-free HD workflow, also for the serial formats.