2024-04-18 09:19:33
Bismarck descendant in the fight against the timber mafia – at 11:15 p.m. on ORF 2 in “dokFilm”
Vienna (OTS) – Illegal logging is a global business worth billions. Alexander von Bismarck, an environmental activist from Washington and descendant of the “Iron Chancellor”, secretly tracks down the machinations of the timber mafia around the world – with changing identities, changed appearances, hidden cameras and sound recording devices. In addition to uncovering scandalous circumstances, his main aim is to bring about a change in the awareness and behavior of politics and civil society. The result is an exciting environmental thriller of a special kind, which can be seen as a “dokFilm” premiere on Sunday, April 21, 2024, at 11:15 p.m. on ORF 2 on the occasion of International Tree Day (April 25th). Michaela Kirst, Monica Lazurean-Gorgan and Ebba Sinzinger are responsible for directing this production, which was co-financed by ORF as part of the film/television agreement and was shown in domestic cinemas in 2021.
More about the content:
The investigative documentary “Wood – The Stolen Forest” provides shocking insights into the machinations of the international timber mafia. The filmmakers Michaela Kirst, Monica Lazurean and Ebba Sinzinger accompany the environmental activist Alexander von Bismarck, great-great-grandnephew of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and head of the environmental NGO “EIA – Environmental Investigation Agency” in Washington, who declares war on the illegal deforestation of forest areas .
From the taiga in Siberia to the natural parks of Romania to the jungle in Peru: billions in profits are being made worldwide from the illegal felling of wood. Consumers are happy about low prices in hardware stores or furniture stores, but would probably be shocked if they knew about the origin of the cheap goods and the consequences of predatory deforestation: including the extinction of endangered species such as the Siberian tiger or the violent ones Attacks on activists and dubious murder cases. In addition to Siberia and Peru, the locations also include China, a major player in wood processing, and Romania, with the last virgin forests in Europe. The central story of the documentary leads via Romanian nature parks to an Austrian timber giant: The company is supposed to encourage its timber suppliers to engage in illegal harvesting on a large scale, a total of 20 million cubic meters annually.
Bismarck’s most important weapon in the fight against the international timber mafia is time. For years he worked to prove the entanglements of economics, politics, profit maximization, power and corruption in the globally illegal timber trade. In order to bring the criminal activities to light, he does not shy away from often changing his identity and appearance or using hidden technical aids such as security cameras and listening devices. So he changes hair colors and hairstyles, wears beards and, among other things, poses as a wood seller or wood supplier.
“Wood – The Stolen Forest” is an exciting eco-thriller in which the forest detective Bismarck is less concerned with uncovering scandalous conditions than with bringing about a rapid change in the behavior of politicians and civil society.
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