As of: March 6, 2024, 9:00 a.m
By: Katja Kraft
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Daniel Harrich's feature film “Am Abgrund”, which will be shown by ARD on March 6, 2024, is star-studded.
Heiner Lauterbach, for example, plays a corrupt politician.
© SWR/ARD
On March 6, 2024, ARD will show “Am Abgrund” by Daniel Harrich about critical raw materials trading and corrupt German politicians.
Unfortunately, everything is true, says the Munich native in an interview.
Daniel Harrich has already experienced a lot.
The investigative journalist from Munich dealt with arms dealers, drug tampers and terrorists in his research for award-winning films.
But the research has never been as intense as for his new project.
“We shot in 14 countries from Brazil to China.
How often we had to run away, go underground, leave the country.
“This thing was really a nerve-wracking story,” says the 40-year-old.
The result is impressive: On March 6, 2024, ARD will show Daniel Harrich's feature film “Am Abgrund” from 8:15 p.m., which reveals how German members of the Bundestag and European Parliament allow themselves to be bribed by dictatorial states like Azerbaijan.
In exchange for money, they turn a blind eye to matters of human rights, freedom of the press and democracy as election observers - also in order to get raw materials there.
As always with Harrich, the star-studded feature film with Heiner Lauterbach and Hans-Jochen Wagner is followed by a documentary film of the same name.
It shows that everything that seemed like crazy fiction is actually the shocking truth.
You say the research this time was even more intense than in your previous projects.
Daniel Harrich:
Yes, because it's about big geopolitics.
Azerbaijan is just one example of the raw materials crisis we are in.
We are revealing that the energy transition is not working at the speed we imagine.
As a German industry, we do not have access to the quantities of critical raw materials that we would need.
Our politicians missed this; we relied on reliable supply chains for an incredibly long time.
And in the meantime the Chinese and now slowly the Americans have seized everything that is available in terms of raw material rights - we are looking through the pipe.
Are we inevitably left behind?
Daniel Harrich:
It's a matter of fact for German industry.
Millions of jobs and our prosperity are at stake.
That's exactly why Germany is looking around the world for sources where copper, cobalt, lithium and rare earths can be obtained.
And that's why countries like Azerbaijan are suddenly interesting to us.
When you see the images of raw material extraction there in your films, you become afraid and anxious. “Sustainable” looks different.
Daniel Harrich:
This is the fairy tale of the emperor's new clothes!
Most of our economic managers with whom I have spoken know that the energy transition is not working and that there are not enough raw materials.
Politicians know that it won't work.
And after researching for a few years, we are also aware that it doesn't work.
Still, no one says the emperor is naked.
Devastating.
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Daniel Harrich:
I was always convinced of electromobility and was one of the first to have an E-Smart.
That was my original thought when researching: “Where can we get the raw materials to save the world?” That’s how I approached the topic.
And became disillusioned? Also in view of the overexploitation that is being done to extract raw materials from the earth?
Daniel Harrich:
That’s still on top of that.
The fundamental problem is: We have a massive raw materials crisis, but no one is talking about it.
All of the goals set by the Federal Republic in this regard seem completely utopian.
Roughly: 15 million electric vehicles by 2030 – that simply doesn’t work.
Then the second question: Where do the raw materials come from?
If you look at the manufacturers' websites, you'll see buzzwords like "green" and "sustainable" all over the place.
But we visited the companies on site.
For example, a large refinery in China - and there they showed us that the highly intensive process to extract lithium is powered by coal.
Very green!
Daniel Harrich:
Exactly.
And there's still a whole rat's tail attached to it.
The displacement of indigenous people in order to gain the land with raw materials.
Then the mining itself: you can paint it as green as you want, sustainable mining is an illusion.
Have you found an answer as to how we can get out of this mess?
Daniel Harrich:
The big question is: What price are we willing to pay for it?
Sure, we can now say that we will go through with this and grab every gram of lithium and every stone of cobalt, then we will work with countries like Azerbaijan, Congo and so on and impose our own demands on morality, human rights, freedom of the press and the rule of law Have to throw on board.
Not a desirable vision for me.
But there is a ray of hope – and that’s where we all need to be.
We have to change our own consumer behavior.
The main mistake we are making right now is that we try to replace like with like.
But we will not save the world by powering our 2.5-ton SUVs with electricity instead of a combustion engine.
Recently I heard the apt sentence: “We are moving from the age of development into the age of preservation.” We have to save ourselves now, now it's about survival.
That also means giving up.
That means massive sacrifice.
What I ask myself every day: Why doesn't anyone say anything?
Why is the economy silent?
Why is she playing along?
The board of one of the largest German automobile manufacturers recently replied to me: “I'm not the first to commit suicide.” Everyone knows it and no one says it.
Everyone wants to get something out of it as long as possible.
Daniel Harrich:
Exactly.
Everyone knows that there will soon be a huge crash.
We have a dependency, especially on China, that makes our gas dependency on Russia look like a pill.
But we still think: “It’ll work out somehow.”
That's why we ignore the lack of rule of law in some countries?
Daniel Harrich:
Exactly.
Although one of the principles of sitting in the Council of Europe is to be a democracy.
Azerbaijan is clearly a dictatorship.
That would mean: get out of the Council of Europe, sanctions.
But nothing happens.
Just like with Qatar and Co.: Everyone knows that they finance the worst terrorist organizations in the world - we ignore that too.
Because we want their oil and gas.
They uncover all of this and ensure that these grievances are reduced. Are you never afraid? Especially when you're filming in countries like Azerbaijan without permission?
Daniel Harrich:
We do this because we believe in the public service system and the mission we have in Germany.
And because people living in Azerbaijan cannot do this type of journalistic work.
The people who are there, like the real investigative journalist Leyla, who appears in our feature film, will probably go to prison after our films are broadcast.
But those who take this risk to fight for freedom of expression are aware of this.
They risk their lives for rights that we have guaranteed in Germany.
That's why I would never stop doing what I do.
Our work is completely driven by idealism and conviction.
I am so grateful for the privilege of speaking freely that there is no way I will ever keep my mouth shut.