20.000 METERS UNDER THE EARTH
The Riesending is by far Germany's deepest and longest shaft cave. The rocky corridors wind their way down for almost 25 km into the legendary Untersberg Mountain descending 1200 meters through a spectacular underground landscape. The film joins an elite team of explorers as they journey into one of the most difficult caves in the world in search for the end of the Riesending.
20,000 Meters Under the Earth is the unique opportunity to travel with the cave team as they explore deep beneath the Earth many days away from the surface.
These speleogists are the only people in the world granted permission to explore the giant Riesending cave. A privilege Ulrich, Thomas, Johann, Florian and Marcus now share with viewers for the very first time.
Specialised light-sensitive, lightweight cameras and lighting was used to provide a glimpse into the incredible underground world most of us do not have the expertise to visit. The search takes many days through bizarre and extraordinary scenery evoking images from The Lord of the Rings or the stories by Jules Verne.
At the entrance the cave drops nearly one thousand meters down a dramatically steep shaft. The cliffs here are higher than the Cologne Cathedral with the highest church tower in the world. The cavers pass through an alternating series of claustrophobic bottlenecks and vast chasms. Through tunnels and past torrential waterfalls and subterranean streams, at one point the explorers even cross an underground lake in an inflatable dingy.
20,000 Meters Under the Earth is the unique opportunity to travel with the cave team as they explore deep beneath the Earth many days away from the surface.
These speleogists are the only people in the world granted permission to explore the giant Riesending cave. A privilege Ulrich, Thomas, Johann, Florian and Marcus now share with viewers for the very first time.
Specialised light-sensitive, lightweight cameras and lighting was used to provide a glimpse into the incredible underground world most of us do not have the expertise to visit. The search takes many days through bizarre and extraordinary scenery evoking images from The Lord of the Rings or the stories by Jules Verne.
At the entrance the cave drops nearly one thousand meters down a dramatically steep shaft. The cliffs here are higher than the Cologne Cathedral with the highest church tower in the world. The cavers pass through an alternating series of claustrophobic bottlenecks and vast chasms. Through tunnels and past torrential waterfalls and subterranean streams, at one point the explorers even cross an underground lake in an inflatable dingy.
Cinematic release on 1st July 2021 in the Berchtesgardener Land
First aired on television on 22nd Januar 2022 on ARTE
Shot in original locations in the Riesending Cave in the alpine Bavarian landscape of the Berchtesgadener Land
Awards:
Written by:
Petra Höfer und Freddie Röckenhaus
Directed and Produced by:
Freddie Röckenhaus
The Riesending-Crew: Thomas Matthalm, Ulrich Meyer, Marcus Preißner, Florian Schwarz, Johann Westhauser, Wolfgang Zillig
Camera: Thomas Matthalm, Katharina Bitzer, Robbie Shone
Aerial Camera: Peter Thompson, Stefan Urmann
Video Editing: Johannes Fritsche
Animations: 422 South, Dave Corfield, Liz Elkington
Line Producer: Svenja Mandel
Narrated by: Dietmar Wunder
Original Music Score: Boris Salchow
Commissioning Editor: Marita Hübinger (ARTE)
Produced by
colourFIELD
In co-production with ZDF
In cooperation with ARTE
Co-Funded by: Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and Filmförderungsanstalt FFA
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