A new 50 minute single documentary from Mind The Gap Productions for TG4 with the working title ‘Glaoch ón Triú Reich’ has begun pre-production. The documentary, explores the lives of two German men Dr. Hans Hartmann and Prof. Ludwig Mühlhausen who broadcast Nazi propaganda in Irish during World War Two, from December 1939 to May 1945.
The men learned to speak Irish fluently whilst working and studying in Ireland. A former student of Dr.Hans Hartmann, Dr. Arndt Wigger, who is also a fluent Irish speaker, will also appear in the documentary to retrace the steps of his former teacher. The production team are currently looking for people who may remember hearing these propaganda announcements on the radio or who remember the men visiting their towns. Dr. Hans Hartmann visited Ireland again in 1964 for instance.
The documentary which was commissioned by Proinsias Ní Ghráinne of TG4, will be directed and shot by Cathal Watters (Ché, At Home In India) who will use RED. It will be produced by Bernadine Carraher (Messenger Boy; Christie Hennessey, Irish Tenors and Friends) with Jennifer Healy (Only Viking in the Village, Ireland- Dig It) assisting. It will include interviews and archive material with some subtle dramatisation. It is hoped that the filming of the documentary will start in late April or early May and will be filming in locations around Dublin, Connemara, Donegal and Berlin.
Post production for the series will be done in Screen Scene. As of yet there is no broadcast date for the documentary but it will be broadcast as part of the Anamnocht series on TG4. The project is funded by the BAI.
For more information on Mind The Gap projects and how to get involved in the current documentary click here
