Jan Tenhaven - Documentary Filmmaker
MY FRIEND, THE ENEMY
MY HOLY CAR – AN OBSESSION MADE IN GERMANY
AMERICA 2024 – THE IRRECONCILABLES (CLAN WARFARE)
SCHOCK SCHALOM – YOUNG, JEWISH, NOW
ARD Documentary: Medicine of Tomorrow
Price fighters / Life on the Polish Market
Adam & Ida
HEY, I AM A JEW!
4 WALLS BERLIN
BERLIN CLEANS! DIRTY TIMES
SILICON VALLEY REVOLUTION – HOW A FEW NERDS DID CHANGE THE WORLD
BERLIN AND BRANDENBURG FROM ABOVE
PRETTY UGLY
IRELAND: THREE SHADES OF GREEN
AUTUMN GOLD
“What kind of films do you make?”
“Actually about everything what fascinates me.”
“So, any focus?”
“No. history, culture, travel, politics, science. Somehow everything.”
“No focus?”
(Pause) “Actually it’s always about humans.”
“Ah. So, portraits?”
“No, not necessarily. But in the end it’s always about humans, right?”
“And are these reports or docs or?”
“Everything. It depends”
“Documentaries?”
“Yeah, as well.”
“I prefer those. Actually we’re only watching Arte and stuff like that at home.”
“Aha.”
“So, what are you doing exactly?”
America – Dream and Reality
3rd May 2026 By Jan Tenhaven
I’m currently in the final stretch of a three-part ZDF documentary series marking the 250th anniversary of the USA. How are the nation’s core values faring — “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” as promised by the American Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776? How much of the “American Dream” remains in a country that is deeply divided? Personal experiences from a wide range of people, together with analyses by experts, paint a multi-voiced portrait of the USA. TV premiere on June 9, 2026, on ZDF.
KRAFTFAHRZEUG is online
5th October 2025 By Jan Tenhaven
My new documentary KRAFTFAHRZEUG – EINE DEUTSCHE LIEBE is available through the ARD online platform (geo-blocked) until 09/09/2026, following its broadcast premiere on German national television ARD.
I am very happy about the positive response to the film: “Illuminating and thought-provoking,” writes Filmdienst, while epd Medien calls it “A homage to almost 150 years of automobility and, at the same time, its deconstruction – a feat the director achieves with a fascinating visual aesthetic. (…) It’s a competition of visual narratives that Tenhaven masterfully arranges as curated dreams.”
Under its international title MY HOLY CAR – AN OBSESSION MADE IN GERMANY, the 52-minute version of the film is distributed worldwide by Autentic Distribution.
Nomination for SCHOCK SCHALOM
23rd November 2024 By Jan Tenhaven
I am delighted that my film SCHOCK SCHALOM has been nominated for the DAFFNE 2025 in the TV Journalism category.
The German Academy for Television (DAfF) awards the DAFFNE annually for outstanding achievements in television – in 21 categories, from acting and directing to make-up, sound design, stunts and special effects. Because television is always teamwork! Click here for our complete staff list. The decisions as to which of the nominees will be presented with a DAFFNE in February will not be made by a jury, but by all 800 members of the Academy. It will be exciting!