In the future, documentary formats will be created from the UFA Show & Factual network, while documentary-fiction productions will be developed in close cooperation with UFA Fiction. Former Managing Director Mark Lepetit will hand over the reins of UFA Documentary to Ute Biernat, who takes on this role on top of her responsibilities as Managing Director of UFA Show & Factual.

Marc Lepetit, who played a key role in building up the documentary unit of UFA and was responsible for productions such as Ich bin! Margot Friedländer (I am! Margot Friedländer) and All or nothing: Die Nationalmannschaft in Katar (All or nothing: The national team in Qatar), will continue working at UFA as a producer.

At the same time, UFA will work closely together with award-winning science journalist and bestselling author Dirk Steffens, whom German audiences know from initiatives such as RTL Deutschland’s sustainability week or nature documentaries such as Die große Geo-Story – Wie wir die Welt gesund essen (The big Geo story – How we eat healthily worldwide). As part of the partnership, Dirk will develop and produce high-quality documentaries for UFA.

Sascha Schwingel, CEO of UFA, says: “I am very pleased that we will be working together with Dirk Steffens on exciting material in this relevant and growing genre. I know that Ute Biernat, who has produced internationally award-winning documentaries such as Arctic Drift in addition to long-running and own-developed show and factual programmes, is the right person to manage the entire documentary division. I would like to thank Marc Lepetit for allowing us to continue relying on his production expertise following the establishment of UFA Documentary. The current changes are a further step towards focusing UFA even more consistently on creativity and high-calibre talent.”

Ute Biernat, CEO of UFA Show & Factual, adds: “I am delighted to be able to further expand the documentary division within UFA and to drive it forward in terms of content with a focus on people and places. With science journalist Dirk Steffens on board, we will start with Geo documentaries and are also working on documentaries with excellent dramaturgical editing in the areas of music, sport, crime, nature and politics. So, we have a lot of plans to position the documentary sector for the future.”

Dirk Steffens says: “The cooperation with UFA as one of the leading production companies in the German-speaking world and part of Fremantle's global network opens up completely new horizons for our high-end documentaries, both nationally and internationally. In close cooperation with our partners at Bertelsmann, we can now develop and realise material in the way that our topics from nature and science require: Sophisticated content, sophisticated dramaturgy and at an internationally competitive level. We look forward to working with streamers and broadcasters at home and abroad.”