For over 25 years, Gruppe 5 Filmproduktion has been producing television programmes for the German and international market. Based in Cologne’s Südstadt, the company specialises in historical subjects for top documentary slots on public broadcasting stations. The list of major television series is long (you can find the full list under “Productions”). And of course we continue to produce new history-based formats. Recent shows have included Terra X for ZDF, “Die Kelten” (individual scenes) for the BBC and “Rom am Rhein”, “Der “Primus”, a dramatized documentary about German politician Franz Josef Strauß, for BR, and the German Television Award-nominated 10-part series “Geliebte Feinde – Die Deutschen und die Franzosen” for Arte.
Gruppe 5 also addresses current social topics. “HUNGER!&DURST!”, a two-part report presented by Claus Kleber (and winner of the Bavarian TV Award Blauer Panther), takes a look at the way our natural resources are being rapidly and carelessly depleted. “NSU – Das Ende” documents the last day of the far-right terror cell. The five-part ARTE documentary “Frauen und Ozeane” portrays 5 marine researchers who have dedicated their lives to saving our oceans – from the Arctic to the Antarctic. “37°: Du musst kämpfen, Johnny!” documents Jonathan Heimes’ struggle to overcome cancer. Each production has won great acclaim both among viewers and critics.
Science programmes and nature documentaries have always been a focus of the work of Gruppe 5. Explaining complex matters simply – this is the challenge we rise to when tackling such subjects as “Manganknollen” (manganese nodules) or “Big Data – Die gläserne Erde” for “Leschs Kosmos”. Series like “Die Macht der Vulkane” or “Sternstunden der Evolution” with Dirk Steffens” (Terra X, currently in production) occupy prime time slots and provide added value in the best possible sense, while “Planet Deutschland – 300 Millionen Jahre” (for WDR, NDR and ARTE, sponsored by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW und DFFF) made it to the big cinema screens.
Gruppe 5’s more recent output has also included studio productions. Together with Maybrit Illner and her team, we have produced special formats such as “Sind wir ein Volk? 25 Jahre Deutsche Einheit” and “Streitpunkt Flüchtlinge – Drei Wahlen, ein Thema”. “Kaputt… und zugenäht!”, on the other hand, shows how damaged personal treasures can be repaired and restored.
These programmes are just a few examples of our total output. What all our productions have in common is that they have been made with the greatest care and dedication and we simply never tire of producing intelligent and entertaining television. With our new website and logo, Gruppe 5 looks forward to presenting more stimulating and ground-breaking projects!