THE BND FILE: THE SECRET SERVICE AND ITS FIRST ARMS DEALER

Akte BND
The Story in the First

In occupied post-war Germany, ex-paratrooper and former SS man Gerhard Mertins rises to become a powerful arms dealer. He has many contacts in the Middle East and with old Nazi greats, a man who therefore becomes interesting for secret services.

He starts right after the Second World War as a simple cab entrepreneur in Bremerhaven but soon he does big business with the German secret service BND and also the American CIA. Until today many files about Mertins are secret. Because against German laws, against international law, Mertins moved weapons to war zones with the backing and sometimes on behalf of the German secret service BND. The team around author Rainer Kahrs spent almost two years researching for the film. For the first time, the BND granted a camera team access to the files of Gerhard Mertins, the BND's first arms dealer. For the first time, Mertins' wife and daughter also speak in front of the camera.

 

© Kinescope Film GmbH / Radio Bremen

Documentary
45 minutes
Director
Rainer Kahrs
Script
Rainer Kahrs
Director of Photography
Lür Wangenheim
Torben Müller
Oliver Richardt
Florian Kroker
Film Editing
Tom Lehnhart
Music
André Feldhaus
Sound
Bea Müller
Marina Schnieders
Rolf Seidelmann
Post Production
Andreas Hellmanzik
Cine Complete GmbH
Graphic design
Oliver Kurth
Color Grading
Andreas Hellmanzik
Mastering
Cine Complete GmbH
Production
Matthias Greving
Line producer
Janina Sara Hennemann
Editor
Michaela Herold
Funding
Nordmedia - Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen und Bremen mbH