With over 50 million books sold, Otfried Preußler is one of the most successful German authors of the 20th century. His children’s classics such as “Der Räuber Hotzenplotz” and “Die kleine Hexe” are still read and loved today. But behind the facade of the author lies a tragic life story, of which little was known until recently: traumatic wartime experiences and many years in Russian captivity. Using rare archive excerpts and statements by experts such as Preußler’s daughter Susanne Preußler-Bitsch and the biographer Tilman Spreckelsen, the film shows Preußler’s moving story and his years-long attempts to process these experiences in his book of life “Krabat”. Thomas von Steinaecker, known among other things for his books and ARTE productions “Werner Herzog – Radical Dreamer” and “Stockhausen – Music for a Better World,” shows a previously undiscovered side of the famous children’s author in his film.
A film by Thomas von Steinaecker
Camera: Martin Friedrich
Editing: Volker Schaner
Animation: Boris Seewald, Max von Bock
Color correction: Jan Hartmann
Sound mixing: Jörn Steinhoff
Supporting actors: Lothar-Jörg Brache
Archive research: Linn Sackarnd
Production Assistant: Franziska Henkel
Production management: Mária Géczi
Editing ZDF: Tobias Cassau
Producers: Maria Willer, Bernhard von Hülsen
A production of 3B-Produktion
Commissioned by ZDF
In cooperation with ARTE
Produktion: Franziska Henkel
Produktionsleitung: Mária Géczi
Redaktion ZDF: Tobias Cassau
Produzenten: Maria Willer, Bernhard von Hülsen
Eine Produktion der 3B-Produktion
Im Auftrag des ZDF
In Zusammenarbeit ARTE
