History 1996

Schimanski returns: Colonia Media Managing Director Dr. Georg Feil starts the production of SCHIMANSKI: DIE SCHWADRON, a series with Götz George, on April 10. While producer Michael Hild does a new series of the successful AUF ACHSE with Armin Rohde, Nele Mueller-Stöfen and Markus Knüfken in Germany, Oliver Schündler moves to South Africa with his production team and makes the television film VERDAMMTES GLÜCK with Christine Reinhart and Heinz Hoenig, with which the ZDF successfully introduces a new movie transmission slot. Saxonia Media starts its first series in May: In LEINEN LOS FÜR MS KÖNIGSTEIN, Orion Commander Dietmar Schönherr is the captain on the bridge of an Elbe barge. Producer Hans-Werner Honert makes the first co-production with Polish television in TATORT: DIE REISE IN DEN TOD with Peter Sodann and Bernd-Michael Lade. And Martin Hofmann produces the three-part film SARDSCH for SAT.1 with Hannes Jaenicke, Nina Franoszek and Rolf Hoppe. This mini series is awarded two Grimme Prizes in 1998. The Film- und Theaterausstattung FTA, which had capacity problems due to the growing production activities, finally moves into a modern warehouse and administrative centre in Geiselgasteig. In Studio 2, parts of the film FRÄULEIN SMILLAS GESPÜR FÜR SCHNEE directed by Bille August are produced. The Rote Erde sets are demolished and are replaced by a detailed reconstruction of a quarter in St. Pauli, which is built for about three million Marks for the five-part series DER KÖNIG VON ST. PAULI, which Dieter Wedel makes in Hamburg and in the film city Geiselgasteig for SAT.1 (producer: Thilo Kleine). On October 14, Federal President Roman Herzog opens the 10th Munich Media Conference on the Bavaria Film site. On this day, the group of companies presents its new Corporate Design. In Los Angeles, director Wolfgang Petersen works on the Director's Cut of the cult film DAS BOOT. And on German screens, we see Ralf Bauer and Hardy Krüger jun. surfing on Hawaii's beaches, while producer Stephan Bechtle announces GEGEN DEN WIND work in South Africa for the coming year. At the end of the year, another production from Bavaria Film (Veith von Fürstenberg) is number 1 in the hit list of German TV movies: the TATORT: HEILIG BLUT with Martin Lüttge, Roswitha Schreiner and Maria Schell (11.09 million viewers, 31.3 percent market share). So that the Bavaria Film Group can assert its top position, the Programme Development Department under the management of Bea Schmidt is installed in December.