The Virus Empire
(1) Silent Killers - Docu-Drama
Viruses are the world’s biggest killers. In the 20th century, more people died from viral infections than from all the wars worldwide. Through reconstructions, dramatised sequences, interviews with leading experts and breathtaking 3D animations from inside the body, The Virus Empire uncovers how these invisible enemies spread — and the science that makes them so devastating.
The Virus Empire uses an exciting mix of dramatised sequences, visually compelling reportage, interviews with leading experts from around the world, and breathtaking 3D animations from inside the body. In 2003, SARS broke out in Hong Kong before spreading across the world. It was a Chinese physician — Dr. Liu — who infected 17 hotel guests within a matter of hours; they then carried the deadly virus to destinations around the world within days.
Scientists around the world quickly suspected that the SARS epidemic could grow to the scale of the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. That pandemic claimed 50 million lives — two and a half times the death toll of the First World War, which ended that same year.
The film also tells the heartbreaking story of Italian doctor Carlo Urbani, who contracted SARS while working to combat the virus. He was a leading figure in Doctors Without Borders, the organisation that had recently been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Urbani died from SARS before the virus was finally identified and contained.
World experts including Nathan Wolfe from Los Angeles, Albert Osterhaus from Rotterdam, Christian Drosten from Hamburg and John Oxford from London discuss the never-ending fight against these silent killers
The Virus Empire uses an exciting mix of dramatised sequences, visually compelling reportage, interviews with leading experts from around the world, and breathtaking 3D animations from inside the body. In 2003, SARS broke out in Hong Kong before spreading across the world. It was a Chinese physician — Dr. Liu — who infected 17 hotel guests within a matter of hours; they then carried the deadly virus to destinations around the world within days.
Scientists around the world quickly suspected that the SARS epidemic could grow to the scale of the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. That pandemic claimed 50 million lives — two and a half times the death toll of the First World War, which ended that same year.
The film also tells the heartbreaking story of Italian doctor Carlo Urbani, who contracted SARS while working to combat the virus. He was a leading figure in Doctors Without Borders, the organisation that had recently been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Urbani died from SARS before the virus was finally identified and contained.
World experts including Nathan Wolfe from Los Angeles, Albert Osterhaus from Rotterdam, Christian Drosten from Hamburg and John Oxford from London discuss the never-ending fight against these silent killers
Facts
Filmed on location in Germany, Switzerland, France, Danmark, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ukraine, the USA, Brazil, Gabon, Kongo, Hongkong and Indonesia.
First aired 13th November 2008, 8.15pm, ARTE / 4th May 2009, 8.15pm, ARD
Credits
Written, directed and produced by: Petra Höfer, Freddie Röckenhaus and Francesca D’Amicis
Cast: Bernhard Bauer (Carlo Urbani), Ilaria Restifo (Giuliana Urbani), Hiromi Tojo (Prof. Liu), Sheng Yang (Johnny Chen), Ya Li Abbrederis (Frau Kwan)
Director of Photography: Johannes Imdahl, Samir Saad, Thomas Schäfer, Marcus von Kleist, Sean Healey, Axel Petrovan
Video Editor: Jörg Wegner
Line Producer: Svenja Mandel
Narration: Benjamin Völz
Commissioning Editors: Britta Susann Lübke (Radio Bremen), Gabriele Conze (WDR Cologne)
A colourFIELD production commissioned by Radio Bremen, ARTE, WDR Cologne
