Documentaries

Lava Productions AG are just releasing their first feature length documentary

This 90minute documentary examines the state of the world's dwindling oil resources and finds that we're running out of fossil fuels much sooner than anticipated. Industry leaders and scientists such as Matt Simmons, Colin Campbell, Fadhil Chalabhi, David Goodstein and many others lend insights into the dire consequences the world is facing as it moves from cheap abundant energy supply to scarce, inaccessible and expensive energy.

Artificial paradises
This 45minute documentary about Albert Hofmann, the inventor of LSD was produced for WDR, Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne, Germany and got nominated for the Grimme award.

Television

Lava TV is continuously producing half hour documentaries as a subcontractor of NZZ Television (www.nzz.ch/format

), the TV department of Neue Zürcher Zeitung (www.nzz.ch

) - Switzerland’s newspaper of record.

Our latest productions include:

Pension funds – hoping for Noah’s Ark: A dire analysis of the crumbling foundations of many pension funds.
Impotence – a rising business: A look at the root causes of impotence and the drug war between Viagra, Cialis and Levitra.
The fight against cancer – two part series on the latest break-troughs in the fight against cancer featuring Lance Armstrong.
Adipose Rex – The Fat Epidemic: Why we’re getting fatter and fatter and why it’s so difficult to lose weight.
Down the Pub – Britons and Beer: An inebriated history of Britain
The Curse of Black Gold: The effects of oil on producing countries
Oil – the End of an Era: Why our addiction to oil has to come to an end
Kuala Lumpur – Microcosm of Asia: Cultural richness and racial harmony as reasons for Malaysia’s economic achievements
Cloning – the second chance: A look at the future of animal breeding and beyond
Until it Stops Beating - a two part series on new treatment options for the human heart
Steam Ahead - a history of steam engines
Digital Asia - a two part series on digital technologies in Asia

World sales by Telepool GmbH, Zürich, Munich, Los Angeles (www.telepool.ch) on behalf of NZZ Television.

News

As of January 2007 "A Crude Awakening - The OilCrash" has been licensed to the following territories:

- Australia / New Zealand: Madman Entertainment, Melbourne (all media)
- USA: Sundance Channel (Cable TV) / Netflix (DVD)
- Canada: Mongrel Media (all media)
- Switzerland: Columbus Film (all media)

World Sales: Cinetic Media, NYC

More informations at http://www.acrudeawakening.org

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Projects

In production:
- Bamboo - Gift of the Gods

In pre-production:
- Clouds - the weather engines
- Cryptography - a two part series on security and privacy
- Interferon - the beginnings of biotechnology
- Vulcanoes - a two part series
- Traditionel Chinese Medicine - a two part series

In development:
- The Future of Medicine - a four part series
- “Schnell, schnell…”, A feature length docu drama

Service

Second opinion
We’re making sure you’ll get what you’re paying for.

As individuals we also have a track record in the production of film and video for corporate communications and for commercials. Former clients include Credit Suisse, Sal. Oppenheim, Swiss Re, Zurich Financial Services, Nestlé, Swissair, British Airways, Orange, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Ford, and many other leading enterprises.

Knowing the minefield of corporate film and commercials production in and out we now offer our advice as independent consultants:
We can help you define your audiovisual needs and we advise you on how to make the best use of audiovisual communication tools within your organization. We offer to assist you in making sure to select the most promising strategy in communicating to your clients.
We proof read scripts and double-check budgets telling you everything about hidden costs.

Company profile

Lava Productions Ltd is a privately owned film and TV production house headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.

We specialize in high-end TV documentaries and in documentary films.

Lava Productions is currently also in development of its first feature length docu drama.

Basil Gelpke together with Mike Helmy established the company in 1998. Both looked back at an international career in television when they joined forces to set up the company. Under the label Lava TV they produced various entertainment series such as Klassenfest, Hotflirt, Abenteuer Schweiz, Expedition Robinson and Alarm.

Lava TV became one of the first production companies in Europe for Reality TV programming, developing a variety of formats.

In order to expand into the German market in 2000 Lava Productions AG set up Eyeland LLC (www.eyelandtv.com ) in partnership with Germany’s MME (www.mme.de ). Shortly after that Eyeland produced SAT.1’s smash hit primetime reality series “Inselduell” (www.wunschliste.de/links.pl?p=1&s=8041 ).

2001, we acted as a greenhouse by founding Lava Productions LLC in Berlin (www.lavafilm.de), which was later taken over by its local management team.

In 2005 Lava Productions AG was taken over and restructured by Basil Gelpke and merged with Feridun AG, a production company and rights trader. Producer Ray McCormack subsequently joined the merged company in 2005.

Staff

Basil Gelpke – download CV [PDF], NZZ Authors
Ray McCormack – download CV [PDF].
Melinda Gelpke

We work with some of the best freelance people in the industry and we have strong links with production companies in a variety of countries.