Thanks to literature and film the Orient Express is worldwide the most frequently mentioned train in history. A positively charged connection between Occident and Orient. A myth. Behind it is the pioneer Georges Nagelmackers, who in a decade-long struggle succeeds in connecting Paris with Constantinople and building up a network of European night train lines despite prejudices, xenophobia and bureaucratic obstacles. A breathtaking success story.

WRITER & DIRECTOR: Gerhard Rekel      CAMERA: Adnane Korchyou   EDITOR: Claudia Spoden   COMMISSIONING DIRECTOR: Michael Petsch (ZDF)