Modern Ruins: Coleman’s Hill – Diamond Rush in the Desert
Documentary by Reinhild Dettmer-Finke
2012, 45/52 min. First part of a 5-part documentary series for ZDF/ARTE Production: Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktion, Berlin
"Kolmanskop – A Diamond Ghost Town in Namibia"
With diamonds the German colonized town Coleman’s Hill in Namibia became the richest town of Africa in the beginning of the 20th century. The pioneers and diamond hunters are long gone today and the former boomtown has become a ghost town. Slowly the desert returns with its fascinating flora and fauna of the succulent Karoo, the most species-rich desert of the world. The picturesque houses disappear in the sand, nature slowly erases the traces of civilization and attracts new adventurers: Photographers, tourists and resourceful tour operators.
In cooperation with ZDF/arte
Director: Reinhild Dettmer-Finke
Camera: Sven Kiesche
Editor: Johannes Hiroshi Nakajima
Producer/Production Company: Anahita Nazemi /Gebrüder Beetz
Commissioning Editor: Marita Hübinger ZDF/Arte
Distribution: Global Screen (World Sales)