Back to All News
BIG M CK: Gangsters and Gold - New documentary feature film about the most peculiar character in Germany's legal history
Entertainment
15 January 2023
GlobalGermany
Written and directed by: Fabienne Hurst and Andreas Spinrath
Creative Producer: Teresa Messerschmidt of BTF Bildundtonfabrik
Executive Producers: Matthias Murmann and Philipp K bohrer of BTF Bildundtonfabrik
Editing: Nathalie Bartel, Johannes Hiroshi Nakajima, Florian B ttger
Coming to Netflix on January 20, 2023!
Information and press materials are available in our Media Center and for more Netflix news, visit our Newsroom.
Berlin, January 16, 2023 - Amid two robberies, multiple court cases, a prison sentence and numerous witnesses, one name keeps popping up: Donald Stellwag.
New images provide a glimpse into the true crime feature film that tells the incredible story of Donald "Big M ck" Stellwag-a story that is both tragic and peculiar. For the first time, he tells his own story in front of the camera. Guilty or innocent? That's the question.
Fabienne Hurst and Andreas Spinrath wrote and directed BIG M CK: Gangsters and Gold.
Fabienne Hurst on the idea for the film: We read the Wikipedia entry about Donald Stellwag and thought: What an incredible story! Our first research revealed that Donald Stellwag had disappeared. Someone said that he had fled to Italy. Someone else thought he was dead. We contacted every person who might know him and really got on his former lawyers nerves. Several months later, the phone suddenly rang: Stellwag here; you wanted to talk to me?'
We quickly realized that we had to check each of his statements, get copies of the judgments, find witnesses. Stellwag is a fabulous storyteller, but he tends to embellish details, recalls Andreas Spinrath. He's been successful at that for years. So, that is what we decided to focus the film on: The power of a well-told story.
BIG M CK: Gangsters and Gold, coming to Netflix on January 20, 2023, was produced by the Bildundtonfabrik company, which has also produced titles like How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast), King of Stonks and Shiny Flakes. In BIG M CK: Gangsters and Gold, cellmates, childhood friends and business partners give us a comprehensive picture of Donald Stellwag.
About BIG M CK: Gangsters and Gold
Donald Stellwag is an outsider: He is bullied and moves away from his small Bavarian hometown to Frankfurt, where he descends into drug addiction. In the early nineties, just as he's getting his life under control, he's linked to a bank robbery by the German TV program Aktenzeichen XY. They describe the perpetrator as very tall and noticeably obese. Just like Stellwag. A controversial expert witness convinces the judges of Stellwags guilt based on an analysis of his earlobe, which they claim is distinctive. Despite his alibi, he is convicted and spends nine years in prison. Less than two weeks after his release, he finds out that the real perpetrator has been caught. Stellwag is exonerated-and becomes an absolute media sensation. However, when a gold transporter is hijacked near the A81 highway and 1.8 million euros worth of gold is stolen, everything changes. The ringleader of the heist, notorious gangster rapper Xatar, gives a revealing testimony in court. The gold thieves and their victims have one thing in common: They all know Donald Stellwag. Has he now committed the crime for which he's already served time in prison? Has this made him the avenger of his own fate?
About BTF Bildundtonfabrik
Founded by Philipp K bohrer and Matthias Murmann in the Ehrenfeld district in Cologne, BTF celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. Under Philipp's and Matthias creative and content management, BTF has won numerous prizes for various made-for-TV show formats, series, documentaries, promotional films and video games in its relatively short history. This includes winning the renowned Grimme Award 12 times, eight German Television Awards, two ADC Awards, the German Comedy Award and the German Computer Game Award.
Journalists Fabienne Hurst and Andreas Spinrath have both worked together with Bildundtonfabrik numerous times, including for the documentary series docupy: Ungleichland, which won a Grimme Award in 2019.
In addition to her work as a journalist, Fabienne Hurst is also a fiction writer (King of Stonks, Netflix). As an investigative reporter, the primary focus of Andreas Spinrath's most recent work has been producing documentaries for German networks WDR and ARD.
About Netflix
With 223 million paid memberships in over 190 countries, Netflix is the worlds leading streaming entertainment service, offering access to a wide selection of diverse TV series, documentaries, feature films, reality and comedy formats, as well as mobile games, in numerous languages. Members have unlimited streaming access to the content anytime and anywhere and can change their plan whenever they want. They can start and pause playback and resume watching the selected title at will.
Please feel free to contact us anytime if you have any questions or need more information.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
04/06/2026
Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p-compatible PTZ auto-frami...
04/06/2026
This recent grad from Spring, TX, led creative-video output for the Aggies' men's basketball team last season and has been producing video and creating ...
04/06/2026
For the first time at a women's golf major, every player in the field will r...
04/06/2026
Three Panasonic PT-RQ45 40,000-lumen 3-Chip DLP projectors made their first live...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin and Akamai have announced a collaboration with NRJ Group, a French mult...
04/06/2026
Telestream will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N7952), demonstrating media work...
04/06/2026
Sony has announced the development of RIALTO 65, a 65mm format image sensor block for the VENICE 2 digital cinema camera, targeting release in the first half of...
04/06/2026
KOKUSAI DENKI Electric America will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N8025, June ...
04/06/2026
Bell Media's TSN and RDS are the exclusive Canadian broadcasters of FIFA Wor...
04/06/2026
The Challenge: Receiving Heavy Media Files From Road Games Quickly and ReliablyT...
04/06/2026
MASV, a managed file transfer platform used in broadcast and live sports product...
04/06/2026
NESN has announced the appointment of Fahad Haider as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Haider returns to NESN, where he previously served as Vice P...
04/06/2026
David J. Halberstam, who spent almost 50 years in sports as a broadcaster and an executive, died June 2 after a years-long battle with brain cancer.
Over his l...
04/06/2026
Although collegiate production programs are tasked with delivering high-quality ...
04/06/2026
California studio, two production trucks, global distribution system are combine...
04/06/2026
New global program empowers and supports storytellers through scriptwriting course and access to industry experts
TikTok and Sundance Institute today announce...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
Is Your Job Making You Work this June?
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS Launches the World Cup Watchers' Rights Association to Stand Up For Australians&...
04/06/2026
Statement regarding unauthorised use of SBS logos on third party social content
4 June, 2026
Media releases
SBS has become aware of social media posts in c...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming infrastructure, and Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business onli...
04/06/2026
American Underground (AU), the Startup Hub of the South and a community of mor...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/06/2026
NVIDIA and Microsoft Reinvent Windows PCs for the Age of Personal AI
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
RTX Spark - a 1-Petaflop Superchip, the Full...
04/06/2026
Inside the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Grade
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Simone Grattarola discusses shaping the look in DaVinci Resolve...
04/06/2026
Cine Gear Expo Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence Recipients
Brie Clayton June 3, 2026
0 Comments
Ed Lachman ASC, Caleb Deschanel ASC, and M. David M...
04/06/2026
St. Vincents Live with Orchestra Tour to Feature Berklee Alum Ruby Plume Berklee alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume will appear on the same bill across seven d...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
All the Truth in My Lies Coming to Netflix on August 28
Entertainment
04 June 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the imag...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Larry Tanz, VP of Content, EMEA, Delivers a Keynote Speech at ...
04/06/2026
Back to All News
Turn Your Living Room into a Stadium With the New FIFA World ...
04/06/2026
Keeping conversations real on LinkedIn Published on Jun 4, 2026 Categories: Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Communications
Share
LinkedIn
Facebook ...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
04/06/2026
June's forecast with GeForce NOW: 100% chance of gaming.
GeForce NOW is lining up new adventures for the month, from big-name blockbusters to quirky indies...
03/06/2026
SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...
03/06/2026
The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...
03/06/2026
RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations.
P...
03/06/2026
Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...
Back to All News
