Films by Daniela Pulverer

Germany 2023, 45 min
by Daniela Pulverer

We owe the first spectacular underwater photographs to Austrian zoologist Hans Hass, who introduced the general public to the underwater world for the first time in the 1940s. Who was this adventurer and film-maker?Hans Hass was one of the inventors of underwater photography in the 1940s. His colour photos of coral reefs and fearsome sharks introduced the underwater world to a wide audience for the first time. In his 1949 film “Menschen und Haie” (Humans and Sharks), he portrayed sharks as harmless sea creatures rather than clichéd man-eating monsters. A trip to the French Riviera as a young man sparked Hass’ enthusiasm for the underwater world. He made himself an underwater camera and observed sea animals in their natural environment as a free-swimming diver. This was a radical new approach to marine research that allowed completely new observations to be made. But how did a young man from Vienna end up making a groundbreaking career for himself as a diver, film-maker and zoologist – at the beginning of World War II at that? And what role did Hass’ wife Lotte play – the first woman to take on the male-dominated underwater world? The documentary offers some fascinating insights into Hans Hass’ life and work. Producing over 70 films and inventing numerous technologies, Hass paved the way for all underwater film-makers who followed him.

2020, 260 min
by Mi-Yong Brehm, Almut Faass, Daniela Pulverer, Rosie Koch

The lakes of Northern Italy are considered as places of longing. The series "Beyond the Alps" shows the five largest of them as natural habitats and at the same time introduces people who are closely connected to the lakes.  Narrated by Eva Mattes, the world of the lakes is portrayed in high-class pictures. Five camera teams were on the road for 150 days, helicopter shots show the special features of this landscape from a bird's eye view.

Germany 2020, 52 min
by Daniela Pulverer, Boris Raim

What happens when an animal perishes in the depth of the forest? Who clears up the remains? Why aren’t we surrounded by carcasses? After all, death is a constant and universal visitor …Every death means life for zillions of other living organisms: it is the initiator of a complex cycle we all depend upon. But despite its importance, we know relatively little about the animals that move in after a body has died, the organisms that radically change the body’s chemistry, and the plants that recycle the valuable nutrients contained in every carcass. A film about life after death…

2018, 104 min
by Annette Scheurich, Klaus Scheurich

Grizzly bears – up to 2.5 metres tall with top weights of 550 kilos, equipped with sharp claws and predators’ jaws to match. We’ve all heard stories of aggressive bear attacks and close encounters… But what are brown bears really like? Renowned bear biologist Chris Morgan is passionate about uncovering their true nature and has studied them for years. In this stunning two-part documentary, Chris is on the trail of the brown bears on the Katmai Coast in Alaska, where he can get closer to them than anywhere else to witness their social lives and survival techniques in intimate detail, revealing a surprisingly sensitive, tolerant, even tender side to the imposing Grizzly.Offering entertaining and informative insights, Chris commentates the bears’ behaviour and explains the peculiarities of Katmai’s unique habitat and its impact on the local population of grizzlies. Always close to the action, his passion for bears shines through and guides us through an engaging and gripping narrative, packed with surprises and intimate bear moments. The two episodes – The Hunger Challenge and The Private Life of Bears – focus on different central aspect of the bears’ lives, from survival to social life, and together provide a rounded, gripping and visually stunning insight into the unusual lives of the Katmai bears.