Contergan

TV Movie

Synopsis

At the end of 1957, the sleeping pill Contergan (thalidomide) comes onto the market. It is considered a miracle drug, because although it is a sleeping pill, it is not supposed to have a lethal effect in any dose. The sleeping pill becomes a gigantic success, quickly claims half of its market in Germany and makes billions in profits. Barely nine months after its market launch, the first contergan-damaged child is born. Because of its lack of lethal effects, it was particularly popular among pregnant women who suffered from insomnia. Based on true events, the sensational events of that time have now become the subject of a gripping tele-fiction.

Credits

Broadcaster: WDR
Executive Producer: Michael Souvignier
TV Editor: Gebhard Henke, Katja De Bock
Supported by: Film- und Medienstiftung NRW
Director: Adolf Winkelmann
Camera: David Slama
Script: Benedikt Röskau
Line Producer: Volker Hahn
Production Manager: Georg K. Kuch
Mix: Marita Strotkötter
Production Design: Ingrid Henn
Costume Design: Lucia Faust
Make-up: Irina Tübbecke-Bechem
Casting: Filmcast
Music: Hans Steingen
Editing: Rudi Heinen


Starring: Katharina Wackernagel, Benjamin Sadler, Hans-Werner Meyer, Caroline Peters, Dörthe Lyssewski, Matthias Brandt, Bernd Stegemann, Jürgen Schornagel, Peter Fitz, August Zirner, Sylvester Groth and many more.