Leopold Hoesch

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“On the Wave” plunges audiences into the breathtaking and perilous world of big wave surfing through the life of Sebastian Steudtner, the German outsider who rose to become the sport’s world record holder. Born in landlocked Nuremberg, Steudtner abandoned school at sixteen to chase the ocean — a decision that led him from windsurfing in Hawaii to confronting towering walls of water few humans would dare approach. Shunned at first by the insular surf world, mocked onstage after career-defining rides, and often left without sponsors, he refused to quit. His relentless pursuit carried him from the icy shores of Ireland to the legendary swells of Nazaré, Portugal — the wave that would not only catapult him into the history books but also shift the center of big wave surfing to Europe.

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Can the National Football League’s appeal win over the hearts of fans in Germany and around the world for the long term? In “THE GAME – The NFL Takes Over Germany,” RTL explores this question in a high-quality, premium documentary and tells the extraordinary success story of the world’s largest sports league. Starting with the NFL Berlin Game in November 2025, the documentary traces the NFL’s rise from its historic beginnings to its status as a modern mega-event—featuring exclusive insights and interviews with, among others, NFL commissioners Roger Goodell and Gerrit Meier, as well as current and former German-speaking NFL pros such as Bernhard Raimann, Markus Kuhn, and Björn Werner.

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They are the most famous sisters in the Netherlands: the so-called “A-Team”—Amalia, Alexia, and Ariane, the daughters of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima. As they come of age, the younger daughters are also drawing public attention. However, only the eldest, Princess Amalia, bears any responsibility. Her path is predetermined as the future Queen of the Netherlands. Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane, however, have a choice. Will they dedicate themselves to serving the royal family, like their great-aunt Margriet, for whom this has been a life’s work for more than 60 years? Or will they follow the example of King Willem-Alexander’s brothers, who went their own way as “freelance royals”?

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Portrait of an actress in constant evolution who, through risk-taking and side steps, has emancipated herself from the overly polished image forged by the Star Wars trilogy to become a talented and committed artist, a recognized ambassador for the feminist cause.

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May 8, 1945 – 11:00 p.m. – the guns fall silent on German soil. The greatest war the world has ever seen comes to an end for the Germans along the Rhine and Ruhr. The Zero Hour—Liberation Day—becomes both history and myth. During this time, people like Elisabeth Wilms, a baker’s wife from Dortmund, and Friedrich Lieffertz, a restaurateur from Cologne, become chroniclers. They capture the final days of the war with their cameras. The documentary by Franziska Rempe and Lukas Hoffmann begins with this so-called “Hour Zero.” Along the Rhine and Ruhr, life is gradually returning to the cities. And across Europe, thousands are now making their way back to their homes.

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The documentary interviews Nobel Peace Prize winners, diplomats, negotiators and former guerrilla fighters who have dedicated their lives to the task. How did their mediation successes come about and why did they fail? Peacemaking is both art and hard work.

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Ebola, Marburg, Nipah, COVID-19, and now avian flu – the list of deadly viruses jumping from animals to humans keeps on growing. Despite the long coexistence of these pathogens and humans, why are these spillover events becoming alarmingly frequent? What role do our actions play in triggering these outbreaks? The gripping documentary SPILLOVER embarks on a global journey to uncover the answers, offering an urgent and eye-opening look at the origins of some of the world’s deadliest viruses.

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Hard to imagine, but true: According to current estimates, out of 500,000 active male football professionals worldwide, under ten (10) are openly homosexual. While homosexuality hardly plays a role in other areas of life today, the topic seems to be completely taboo in professional football. The feature-length documentary THE LAST TABOO lets those who broke exactly this taboo tell their very personal stories alongside Thomas Hitzlsperger. Like the British professional footballer Justin Fashanu (*1961 in London; † 1998 in London), who broke this taboo for the first time in 1990 and paid for it with his life. His niece Amal tells his story. Marcus Urban, on the other hand, was about to make the jump to the Bundesliga as a teenager and, by deciding to come out, he also went against his big dream. The stories of the US professional Collin Martin and the British player-coach Matt Morton, on the other hand, suggest that normality is not far away.

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As recently as the 1990s, many viewed her as a threat to the monarchy. Today, Camilla is one of the main pillars of support for the king and the royal family. As First Lady, she has no constitutional role, but she plays a fundamental one. The documentary tells the story of a strong woman and a great love.

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For nine years, nine months and nine days, track superstar Edwin Moses went unbeaten in the notoriously difficult 400-meter hurdles.The Olympic champion devised his method while a physics major at Morehouse College, calculating the appropriate steps needed to dominate the event. Featuring interviews with fellow Morehouse alums Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee, the film shares Moses’ triumphs on and off the track.

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The three-part documentary “Beckenbauer – The Last Emperor” chronicles a life so exuberant it feels as though it were more than one. Torsten Körner, who co-wrote the highly acclaimed biography “Der freie Mann” with Franz Beckenbauer 20 years ago, has crafted a historically precise, at times nostalgic journey through life that connects Beckenbauer’s private life with his public one, the real with the imaginary. From Munich’s “Giesing” neighborhood—known as the “Glasscherbenviertel”—to the hearts of the German people and ever higher, all the way to New York; from the 1966 World Cup to becoming a global figure; and as the “Emperor” and a “beacon of light,” to the most famous German in the world: “Beckenbauer – The Last Emperor” illustrates, as rarely before, what constituted the modernity of both the soccer player and the “pop star” Beckenbauer.

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It marks the beginning of a new era in Denmark’s monarchy when Frederik X becomes king on January 14, 2024. On that day, the spotlight will also turn to him: Christian, the new Crown Prince. More duties, more public appearances, and more responsibility now await the royal, who has just come of age. Not much is known about Christian and his siblings—Isabella, Vincent, and Josephine—who are now also stepping more into the spotlight. Although they live in the heart of Copenhagen and attend public schools, there are no photos of them outside of official appearances. The Danes respect the privacy of their royal family and the princes’ and princesses’ right to a childhood. So far, Denmark’s young royal children have grown up without media pressure and with plenty of family warmth, able to develop freely and confidently in a protected environment.

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GOOD MORNING, MY BEAUTIES! The film is a vibrant group portrait of East German women from a wide variety of walks of life in the GDR. What they all have in common is that they grew up in the GDR and were shaped by it; they do not view this background as a “burden,” but rather base their self-image and identity on it. The film explores and describes the true state of women’s equality in a country that claimed to have resolved this issue once and for all—in sharp contrast to the Federal Republic of Germany. The book features the voices of female musicians, writers, LPG chairwomen, workers, painters, politicians, and scholars. They all recount the daily grind, their everyday lives, and their struggle for recognition in a repressive state that persecuted, punished, and imprisoned its opponents.

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A portrait of American actress Uma Thurman, muse of legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino and courageous voice for the many victims of despotic producer Harvey Weinstein.

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Offers viewers unprecedented access to former heavyweight boxing world champion Vitali Klitschko, along with his brother Wladimir, who together dominated the sport for more than a decade. Now the longest serving Mayor of Kyiv, this feature-length Sky Original documentary charts Vitali’s journey from the ring to political office, ultimately leading the defence of the capital when it was attacked by Russian forces in February 2022.

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In the run-up to the 2024 European Soccer Championship in Germany, “Soccer Miracle: From Bern to Berlin” offers an extraordinary, deeply emotional look at the evolution of the DFB national team—from the postwar era to the present day.

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The story of the rise to stardom of Joaquin Phoenix, an actor of magnetic physique, tumultuous past, socially committed, who for years has offered outstanding performances.

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Chronologically assembled from the reports of hundreds of newscasters, cameramen, and civilians representing the days following the tragic event of the February 6, 2023 earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

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She is one of the longest-serving first ladies in the world: Silvia of Sweden. On December 23, the queen beloved by many Germans will celebrate her 80th birthday. To mark the occasion, she shares insights into her life with Julia Melchior in an exclusive interview for Terra X History. The marriage of King Carl Gustaf to Silvia, a commoner from Heidelberg, marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Swedish crown in 1976. Calls for a republic were loud at the time, but Silvia helped usher in a renaissance for the monarchy and restored the royal family’s luster. Silvia herself always saw herself as a working mother. Her job: queen. For this self-image, she is considered a trailblazer in the royal scene.

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The grounding of the container ship “Ever Given” blocked the Suez Canal in 2021. Global supply chains were disrupted. Was this just a harbinger of the enormous new challenges facing the system of “globalization”? In an evolving world order shaped by the tension between democracies and autocracies, German companies are forced to continue doing business with countries like China despite geopolitical risks, because they need China as both a market for their products and a supplier of raw materials.

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Daily cooperation between the generations is a challenge. As we learn from the royal family, this is no different in the royal household than it is in a family business. Carl Gustaf is (after fifty years on the throne) an experienced monarch, and Victoria is a strong-willed woman. She proved this when it came to the most important decision of her life: her husband, Daniel.

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As crown princes, Haakon and Frederik were born for the roles that await them, but they are shaped by the women by their sides. Mette-Marit and Mary serve as advisors, representatives, and sources of support for their husbands. The two crown prince couples see themselves as equals and view their roles as a team effort. This is how they navigate the balancing act between the crown and family, duty and self-determination, old traditions and new issues—albeit in very different ways in both kingdoms. Who are the two crown princes who will ascend the throne in Norway and Denmark in the foreseeable future? In “My Husband, the Crown Prince,” ZDF royal expert Julia Melchior offers a personal look at the two heirs to the throne and the role their wives play in their lives.

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For many decades, it was Germany’s largest event venue and North Rhine-Westphalia’s “XXL living room”: the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund. Opened in 1952—long before the boom in multipurpose venues of the ’90s and 2000s—the Westfalenhalle remains Germany’s third-largest venue in terms of audience size. A century-old building designated as a historic landmark that is deeply rooted in the history of North Rhine-Westphalia—and a show business legend right in the heart of the Ruhr region.

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In no other region of Europe does China assert its geostrategic interests as confidently as it does in the Balkans. The documentary analyzes how China is reinforcing the authoritarian policies of some governments in these countries, creating dependencies, and thereby challenging the EU, which has been conducting accession negotiations with the countries of the Western Balkans for years.

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"König Charles III - Tag der Krönung" is a TV Special on WeLT Television (formerly known as N24).

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A portrait of the Spanish-German actor Daniel Brühl, a versatile performer capable of moving easily from the gentlest to the darkest role.

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“How Do We Want to Love?”—the title makes it clear that love doesn’t just happen by chance, but that there is also a will behind it. And so we ask ourselves, as lovers and experts: What can we know about love? What should we, as lovers, do? What can we hope for (in the future)—or what should we fear? The focus is on “romantic love” between people who live out religiously influenced, queer, monogamous, polyamorous, conventional, or anti-bourgeois models of love.

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Queen Silvia is an icon; Crown Princess Victoria is a superstar. Mother and daughter bring glamour and good news. Constant public scrutiny and a life dictated by others are the price they pay. Would the Swedish monarchy even have a future without them? This film by royal expert Julia Melchior examines the role of strong women in one of Europe’s most popular royal families. Royals have no power, but they do have influence. Strictly speaking, Queen Silvia, as the wife of the reigning king, is merely the “queen consort.” There is no official job description for First Ladies; representing the monarchy is generally expected. Queen Silvia, however, has filled her role with a mission. She breaks taboos to give a voice to the most vulnerable members of society. With diplomatic skill, she defuses many a precarious situation. And with courage and poise, she also overcomes challenges within her own family.

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Over the centuries, it has been put to the test time and again: the Swedish monarchy, one of the oldest in the world and, at the same time, one of the most modern. What is the secret to the success of the Swedish royals, who enjoy such great popularity? “Moving with the times for Sweden”: King Carl Gustaf has made this the motto of his reign. As a result, gender equality has long been a part of the Swedish royal family. In 1980, the law of succession was amended to grant men and women equal inheritance rights. Marriages to commoners have also become a tradition. Sweden’s royal children are free to marry whomever they choose. The king himself set the example when he married Silvia Sommerlath from Heidelberg in 1976.

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