Forbidden Zone - Wildlife on the Battlefield

The Balaton is the biggest shallow water lake in Central Europe. Although vacationers invade its coast every summer, the lake and its surroundings contain almost unbelievable natural treasures. The volcanoes, caves, tufaceous limestone stairs, sandhills and valleys are parts of the European Geopark Network, the moors are water habitats of international significance. Ground squirrels, wildcats, peregrines, ravens, mass-nesting egrets and herons, filber mice going on night adventures, asps doing wedding dance live here. The odd marriage of geology, wildlife and humans created this spectacular landscape.

We're at Hungary's western gateway. The landscape is ruled by the representatives of economy: motorways, cities, industrial parks, wind farms, as well as the hydroelectric power plant commissioned exactly 20 years ago. But something hides among them. A giant alluvial fan with small, island-like villages, forests, wetland fields, reed beds, all of which are encircled by countless small and big watercourses and prongs. This inland delta is unique in Europe, and was created by the Danube coming out of the mountains. But today the river is not as free to move as once. Seeing the grip of the built environment, the question arises: Can the wildlife retain its former richness and beauty?

There is a phantom lurking in the forest. It is almost impossible to spot him, but his traces give him away. His footsteps in the snow tell us that he was heading towards the valley. The hole with the dry leaves was his ambush during the day. And the leftover of the prey shows what he was hunting for. As we follow his traces, we get to know the forest where he lives. We walk through river valleys, canyons, sunny crags and misty hills – this is the Northern Low Mountain Range, a transition zone between the Carpathians and the Great Plain, on the border of Hungary and Slovakia.

The recurring protagonists of the movie is an osprey family and a young otter. Through their story, the animals living in the wetlands of the Carpathian Basin and their rarely seen behaviour are presented. Deers, Hungarian grey cattle, asps, catfish, bee-eaters, hooded crows appear in the movie, as well as places like the backwaters of the Tisza River, the Danube and its tributaries, the Hortobágy, the Balaton and the Gemenc Forest. The movie presents one year of the animals living the wetlands and floodplain forests, from winter to next summer. A nature documentary about the lands, fauna and nature-related traditions of Hungary.

Meet Dot, the little wild horse foal. She is a Przewalski's horse: the only true wild horse species of the world. Although the origin of this endangered species is in Mongolia, Dot lives in the heart of Europe, on the grassy plains of Hungary called the "Puszta". 25 years ago some were introduced here and the horses instantly formed an organic connection with this magical land with rich and unique wildlife. Today this is one of the largest Przewalski's horse herds on the planet. This is their story.

At first glance, it's just like other European plains. Once the wind and rivers worked on it, today it bears the signs of human activity. The Hungarian Puszta is different nonetheless: it lives a secret life where always happens something. Big birds hustle and push each other, the traffic of the white, salty lakes competes that of major airports, antlers clash like swords, and an owl claps on all this. The most peculiar creature is the protagonist itself. The golden jackal once lived here, but it vanished for decades because of constant persecution. But this four-legged predator, defying the danger, has returned and founded a family. The new pack howls in the frosty night: "This is our land!"