Directing

Michael Grzimek

Born 1934-04-12 · Berlin, Germany

Michael Grzimek was a German wildlife filmmaker. He studied zoology and natural sciences. He was the second son of veterinarian Bernhard Grzimek.

Acting credits

6.5

The film tells of the beginnings of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. At the end of the 1950s, the Tanzanian National Park Administration wanted to fence in the protected area around the Ngorongoro Crater. Bernhard and Michael Grzimek were invited by the national park administration in 1957 to get a precise picture of the animal migrations and to provide the national park administration with the values they needed for their project. Using a new counting method with two airplanes, the Grzimeks found out that the migration of the herds was different than assumed.

Serengeti Shall Not Die

1959

Behind the camera

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Report on an expedition to Lake Edward in Central Africa.

Auf Nilpferdpfaden

1955

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Report on an expedition to Lake Edward in Central Africa.

Auf Nilpferdpfaden

1955

6.9

Almost 70 years ago, the then director of Frankfurt Zoo, Prof. Bernhard Grzimek (1909-1987), shot this famous animal documentary about the African continent with his son Michael. The documentary was considered an impressive plea for the preservation of Africa's animal paradises at the time. It vividly illustrates the far-reaching consequences of the impending loss of what were then still largely untouched natural landscapes. Despite visible signs of age, the film has retained much of its fascination as a contemporary document to this day.

No Place for Wild Animals

1956

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Describes the journey of the okapi “Epulu,” which was brought from the Congo to Frankfurt Zoo in Germany as the first of its kind ever. The film shows the capture of the animal, its loading, and its flight of over 10,000 kilometers from one continent to another, until it finally arrives at Frankfurt Airport.