The hit ARD series ‘Black Gold’, produced by NDR in 2025 for the ARD Mediathek, has been awarded the prestigious “Opus Klassik” prize for classical music in the category “Film Music/Score of the Year”. The award recognises the exceptional musical work of Oscar winner Hans Zimmer and Aleksey Igudesman, whose atmospheric compositions have played a key role in shaping the series’ distinctive character. Their film score powerfully brings to life the emotional and social upheavals surrounding the historic oil boom of around 1900 in the Lüneburg Heath. The score has been highlighted by critics and audiences alike as one of the key factors behind the series’ special impact.
NDR Programme Director Frank Beckmann: “We are very proud to have won the ‘Opus Klassik’ award for Best Film Score for ‘Black Gold’. The way Hans Zimmer and Aleksey Igudesman have made this gripping story even more compelling had me hooked from the very first minute. Securing this team for our project was a personal priority for me – the fact that it has now resulted in this award is a wonderful endorsement. Good film music conveys emotions in a very special way. And the best thing is: the story isn’t over yet – a second series of ‘Schwarzes Gold’ is already in development.”
‘Black Gold’ based on the idea of Justin Koch tells the story of the oil boom in the Lüneburg Heath and paints a multi-layered picture of a region in transition, caught between tradition, economic interests, social conflicts and personal destinies. The six-part series combines historical authenticity with a modern narrative style and an elaborate cinematic production, which has been praised by audiences and the trade press alike.
In addition to its award-winning music, the first series impresses with its star-studded cast. The top-class ensemble includes Harriet Herbig-Matten, Aaron Hilmer, Tom Wlaschiha, Lena Urzendowsky, Jessica Schwarz, Slavko Popadic, Henny Reents, Daniil Kremkin, Marton Csokas and Gwendoline Christie, whose compelling performances have made a decisive contribution to the series’ success.
The visual design also sets new standards. The elaborately staged landscape shots of the heath, the richly detailed sets and costumes, and the cinematic visual style, shot in Cinemascope, lend the series an extraordinary atmosphere. Critics have described ‘Black Gold’ as one of the most ambitious German-language media library productions of recent years.
The audience response was correspondingly overwhelming. With 9 million views and an average completion rate of 60 percent, ‘Black Gold’ achieved outstanding viewing figures on the ARD Mediathek. Furthermore, it received top ratings and became a much-discussed topic on social media.
“The success of ‘Black Gold’ has exceeded our expectations. The audience’s enormous enthusiasm, the high viewing figures on the ARD Mediathek and the excellent reactions from the press and social media show that the series has carved out a special place for itself in the German television landscape. We are very much looking forward to developing this story further with a second series,” said producers Matthias Greving, Kirsten Lukaczik and Dennis Becker.
The second series of ‘Black Gold’ is set to continue the story of Johanna and Richard and tell new chapters centred on the economic, political and personal upheavals of the oil age in northern Germany. The NDR will announce further details regarding the plot, cast and start of production for the second series at a later date.
The first series of ‘Black Gold’ is a Kinescope Film production, co-produced with FilmNation Entertainment, Hero Squared (Hungary) and 4Film, with worldwide distribution handled by The Fifth Season on behalf of NDR for ARD. The production was supported by funding from nordmedia – Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen, the German Motion Picture Fund (GMPF), MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, the FilmFernsehFonds Bayern and the Hungarian National Film Office.
Link to the ARD media library:
https://www.ardmediathek.de/serie/schwarzes-gold/staffel-1/Y3JpZDovL25kci5kZS81MTI5/1
22 June 2026/BB
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