PREMIERE on GERMAN TELEVISION
NATURAL JUICES - Bodily Fluids sold as Goods will premiere on Wednesday 26.01.2022 at 9.45 pm on ARD alpha on German Television
The Bayrische Rundfunk will show the film again on Wednesday 09.03.2022 at 10.45 pm.
There is no artificial substitute for breast milk, blood and sperm. The three substances can only be obtained from human bodies. They are collected and processed in banks and ultimately end up in other bodies. Karin Berghammer's documentary NATURAL JUICES explores the question of who donates the valuable secretions and who receives them at what price.
https://www.br.de/fernsehen/ard-alpha/programmkalender/ausstrahlung-2738398.html
Women's milk has been collected in Vienna since 1909. Today, donors receive 2.30 euros for one litre. Neonatologist and breast milk researcher Dr. Nadja Haiden from the Medical University of Vienna is campaigning for the continuation of the Europe-wide price fixing for the "extremely valuable" substance. It is important to prevent conditions like those in the USA, where the internet trade in the sought-after substance is taking off. Bodybuilders are prepared to pay up to 170 dollars for a litre. A hefty sum that tempts mothers with no income of their own to take their milk to market. The price for this questionable safeguarding of the family income is paid by their babies: they are fobbed off with cheap formula food.
Besides blood for life-saving blood transfusions, plasma is a sought-after raw material from human bodies. In order for Karin Modl to survive despite her severe immunodeficiency, at least 600 people have to donate plasma every year. And it is not only used in cases that are a matter of life or death. Aesthetic dermatologist Dr Barbara Franz demonstrates its rejuvenating power in a so-called "vampire lift".
For Timo, who was 19 at the time, an advertisement suddenly popped up on Instagram: Become a sperm donor! Curious, he signed a contract with the Erlangen sperm bank. That was two years ago by now, and the 21-year-old now goes to the "extraction room" once a month.
VOD RELEASE
For all those who want to take a look right now, we have some good news:
NATURAL JUICES is now available on Vimeo on demand !
(Those who are currently residing in Germany will unfortunately have to wait a little longer or watch ARD alpha in January and BR in March).
Director Karin Berghammer | Script & Production Barbara Eppensteiner | After an idea from Irini Athanassakis | Script Advisor Andrea Ernst | Assistant Director & 2nd Camera Zorah Berghammer | DoP Caroline Bobek, aac | Kamera Berlin Ede Müller | Sound Engineers Lenka Mikulová, Ken Rischard | Ton Berlin Patrick Gasada | Editor Gernot Grassl, aea | | Composition Christof Dienz | Sound Editing, Sounddesign & Sound Mixing Georg Tomandl | Color Grading Johannes Püller | Production & Editing Assistant Franziska Aringer | Transcripts Christina Bachmann, Maurice Chales de Beaulieu | Title & Graphics Eni Brandner | Press Ines Kaizik-Kratzmüller, IJK presse + marketing
Production berg hammer film | in Co-production with ORF & BR
Karin Berghammer | berg hammer film
ORF
BR
Supported by Land Niederösterreich, Filmfonds Wien & FERNSEHFONDS AUSTRIA