Films by Andreas Pichler

Germany 2024, 90 min
by Andreas Pichler

Steel giant Thyssen Krupp in Germany and cargo ship operator Maersk in Denmark are investing huge sums of money with public support to convert their huge and dirty energy consumption to ‘green’. Hydrogen plays a central role in this. At the same time, countries in Africa such as Morocco and Namibia are gearing up to become giga-suppliers of the new energy source. But does it all make sense? Why not just produce green steel in Africa? And what's the story behind the blue hydrogen that is supposed to come from Norway via pipeline? The film follows pioneers on breathtaking projects and shows that the energy transition is more complicated than expected and holds many surprises in store.

Germany, Italy 2024, 90 min
by Andreas Pichler

Europe’s largest bear rewilding project was successful in resetlling brown bears in the Italian Alps. While most locals supported the conservation project in the beginning, fear and anger prevail after a series of attacks on humans. Interweaving breathtaking and rarely seen footage of wild bears and interviews with rangers and locals, the film taps into the heated debate over what the return of the bears means for rural communities. Can humans and bears truly coexist? How do we balance conservation with human safety?

Germany 2019, 89 min
by Andreas Pichler

Alcohol: No substance seems so familiar to us and is so incredibly diverse in its effect. It's available everywhere and this particular molecule has the power to affect all 200 billion neurons of our brain in completely different ways. But hardly anyone calls it a drug despite its psychoactive and cell-destroying effect. Why do we tolerate the death of 3 million people every year? What role does the alcohol industry play with an annual turnover of 1.2 trillion EUR in this on-going concealment? The film has no intention to point a moral finger but will change the drinking habits of the viewer.

2017, 91 min
by Andreas Pichler

There's one thing milk stands for — health. It's seen as natural and nutrient-rich. Which is exactly what makes it so attractive for the market. But is it really that healthy? We set out to take a critical look at the milk system. Along the way we'll meet farmers, dairy owners, politicians, lobbyists, NGOs, scientists. Each has their own views on the value and consequences of an industry with world-wide impact. Whether in Europe, Asia or Africa, milk is the allegorical model of streamlined-for-growth global food production and its consequences. The film uncovers surprising truths behind the system. Who profits at whose cost? Does the system have a future and are there alternatives? A journey across continents (Europe, Africa and China) that deals with preconceptions and brings solutions to light.

Germany 2013, 52 min
by Andreas Pichler

2012, 80 min
by Andreas Pichler

Venice is pure romance; that which all Europeans yearn for, the dream of all Americans, the wish of all Japanese. But the world's most beautiful city turns into a ghost town at nightfall. Entire quarters stand empty, their structures merely providing a myth to serve business interests. 20 million foreigners visit the city each year. An average of 60,000 a day. By comparison, there are only 58,000 inhabitants left.And next year it will be fewer still. For the city is becoming uninhabitable. The film shows what remains of Venetian life: a subculture of tourist service industries; a port for monstrous cruisers;Venetians who are moving to the mainland as there are no longer affordable apartments to be found.A Requiem for a still grand city. An illustration of how common property becomes the prey of few.An elegy to the last Venetians, their humour and their hearts.

2011, 90 min
by Andreas Pichler

In a time of global resource shortage and increasing energy prices, it is lithium that is on the way to becoming 'the' natural resource of the 21st century. Lithium is the basis for a new kind of battery technology and thus a prerequisite for the spreading of electronic mobility. Is lithium an answer to the imminent energy crisis and key to the future? We tell three stories about the vision of electronic mobility, and the extent to which it already has become reality today.