Factual

ORF-Enterprise’s historical documentary Pirates of the Mediterranean – A Game of Greed and Power has received a Bronze Award in the General – History category at the 2026 Telly Awards, one of the industry's leading international competitions honoring excellence in video and television production. Written and directed by Danielle Proskar, the film was produced by e&a film and Urban Canyons in co-production with ORF and ARTE. The documentary is part of ORF’s Universum History strand and is distributed internationally by ORF-Enterprise.

Commenting on the achievement, Caroline Haidacher, Head of Universum History at ORF, said: "It is a gripping film with breathtaking visuals that tells a deeply human story and places it within a broader geopolitical context. We congratulate the filmmakers on this award, which shows that the history genre remains timelessly relevant and popular."

The documentary explores piracy and slavery in the 16th-century Mediterranean, examining how both functioned as legally sanctioned tools of political power and economic gain during the period. At the center of the story is Balthasar Stürmer, the son of a German merchant who joins a Christian corsair expedition targeting Ottoman merchant ships. After being captured by Ottoman corsairs, he is sold into slavery in North Africa, providing a personal perspective on a wider historical system that shaped Mediterranean trade and conflict.
The historical narrative is complemented by contemporary archaeological research led by marine archaeologist Timmy Gambin and the University of Malta. Using advanced underwater robotics, the team investigates a 16th-century shipwreck located 126 meters below the sea surface, uncovering evidence that sheds new light on piracy, commerce and human trafficking in the early modern Mediterranean.