Movie Night with Axel Gebauer
With “Vino&Kino,” the DOG is launching a new online series for its members: In conversation with filmmakers, we gain insights into their work and then experience “great cinema.”
To kick things off on Friday, 27 November 2026, at 7:30 p.m., we welcome wildlife filmmaker Axel Gebauer, who has been a DOG member for over 35 years. After a brief conversation with DOG President Dorit Visbeck-Liebers, we will show his 45-minute film “The Secret World of Animals.” To set the mood, a short making-of film offers insights into the shoot, including fun and enthusiasm.
Please register in advance. You will then receive all information about participation and the access details by email.
Axel Gebauer’s Secret World of Animals
Axel Gebauer headed the Görlitz Zoo for many years before becoming self-employed in 2011 as a wildlife photographer and animal filmmaker. His work has taken him to the Caucasus, the Himalayas, and Arizona, among other places. However, he feels especially connected to his adopted home, Upper Lusatia. Its heathland and pond landscape is also familiar to many birdwatchers because of its cranes.
What happens among reeds, water, and forest when we humans are not there? For “The Secret World of Animals,” around 150 hidden and remotely operated cameras were used over four years. They provided unusual insights into the lives of wolves, red deer, wild boar, and otters. Behind the footage lie precise species knowledge, technical ingenuity, and a great deal of patience: camera locations had to be selected, batteries and memory cards regularly replaced, and large amounts of material reviewed.
The extensive footage resulted in several films: a 45-minute single-part film for ARD as well as the two-part “Wolf Land” and “Between Water and Forest” for ARTE, each 45 minutes long. For an international audience, a 50-minute version was produced. The films received numerous awards, including the 2024 German Nature Film Prize in the category “Best Film | Wilderness Nature” for “Between Water and Forest.” “Among Wolves” was honored in the same year at the Green Screen nature film festival with the Nature Film Prize as well as Best Innovative Film.
