Thought-provoking and educational political documentaries are the trend
Cologne/Cannes, 26 April 2011 – Following the nuclear disaster in Japan, there was huge demand at MIPTV 2011 for programs dealing with critical environmental issues and global politics. International TV buyers displayed a keen interest in documentaries that critically investigated global inter-relations in the interests of consumer enlightenment. united docs’ fair highlights were the three documentaries “Fashion Victims” 52’, “The Asbestos Connection” 52’ and “Cloning Food” 45’. Alongside these current affairs programs, united docs also scored highly in Cannes with its latest history documentaries. Various program packages were sold to Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Croatia, Belgium, Finland and Austria. Several countries secured licenses for the science series "Biomimicry – Inspired by Nature” (4x52’), which presents technical resource-saving innovations that are based on the ingenious principles found in nature.
“TV viewers have become more discerning. They want more solid information and greater political transparency – worldwide. A shift in attitudes has taken place, particularly on environmental and consumer issues,” says Anne Hufnagel, Head of united docs Cologne. “Journalistic documentaries about complex global interconnections, issues or current events which impact on our quality of life are gaining in importance all the time.”
The documentary “Fashion Victims” 52’ goes on the trail of questionable chemicals in textiles and shoes. A huge proportion of the clothing sold in Europe comes from Asia and contains substances which are banned here; poisons such as chromium, azo dyes, and chlorine gas, which can accumulate in the body over years and cause allergies, nervous disorders and even cancer. Textile production itself also claims its victims. Deaths of workers in Asian tanneries and factories are commonplace. The film investigation
“The Asbestos Connection” 52’ takes the viewer from Canada through China and onto Europe. Even though the lethal mineral has been banned here for more than a decade, there is an exemption available for the importation and trade in Canadian asbestos. In China too, asbestos is still used in products such as thermos flasks and sealing rings, which are then exported around the world, including to Europe. The carcinogenic fibre leads to asbestosis in humans, a possible cause of lung cancer. This illness of the lungs claims more than one hundred thousand victims every year worldwide. The documentary investigates the approval procedure and the options for consumer protection.
“Cloning Food” 45’ looks into the red-hot question as to whether it is at all possible to control the transatlantic trade in cloned calves and cloned meat. In North and South America, cloning is permitted for breeding animals for foodstuffs; in contrast, it is only permitted in Europe for research purposes. The trade in the semen from top breeding bulls has long since gone global: the USA and South America sell the semen of clones worldwide. In the international meat trade it is impossible to restrict cloned animals to one country or even one continent – particularly when they are not labelled. Many descendents of cattle cloned in the USA are to be found on the Argentinean and Brazilian markets. When importing to Europe, not even the experts can determine whether the meat from South America is sourced from the offspring of cloned animals. Meat from cloned animals is still not officially permitted for sale in Europe, yet the pressure being exerted by the U.S. to permit the sale of cloned meat on the European common market is intense. A meeting of the arbitration committee between the Parliament and the EU Commission on this question ended in uproar. The French, Austrians and Germans fundamentally reject the concept of genetically modified foodstuffs. It makes one wonder how the European Union can come to an agreement...
