Wild Balkans

Deep gorges, extensive swamps, dense wood lands, all wild and primitive. This is the south east of the old world, country you would expect in Tolkien's "Lord of the Ring". There are no orks and elbs, but there are wolves and bears. The Balkans is the Middle Earth of Europe. For thousands of years this area was ravaged by war and it is only recently that the area, the powder keg of Europe, is finally settling down. Its violent history overshadows the treasures to be found in this country. No cursed ring of power as in the mystical Middle Earth, but sparkling jewels of nature , hidden in the confusion of history.

This story begins in Montenegro. In the stony wilderness of the "Black Mountains" some of the remaining primeval forests of Europe still exist. The Tara, or as it is known by the locals, "Europe's Tears", the longest river in Montenegro has the longest and deepest canyon in Europe. At the mouth of the Drau in the Danube is a natural jewel, the Kopacki Rit. It is one of the largest areas of swampland in Europe.

 

Director: Dr. Michael Schlamberger

Michael has been the Director of Photography as well as the Producer and Director for many international award winning blue-chip natural history documentaries, as well as producing AV and multi-screen shows for a variety of venues, including Museums and National Parks Centres. Michael is a qualified open water diver, and since 2006 holds a pilot's license. In 2008 Michael was awarded Austrian Television's ROMY award in the category of best cinematography for ORF UNIVERSUM's documentary "Ol' Man River - The Mighty Mississippi". Michael has developed a unique style, both with his cinematography and his productions, a style which is now recognized as having the quality seal of a ScienceVision production.

Austria
2009
51 Min.
German
5
Director: Dr. Michael Schlamberger
Script: Michael Schlamberger
Cinematography: Michael Schlamberger, Rolando Menardi
Editing: Andrew Naylor
Music: Andreas Fabianek
Narrator: Manfred Lehmann
Editor: Universum NHU
Website URL: nhu@orf.at