Born to Fake

Born to Fake

2026
1h 32m
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Overview

In 1996, one of the biggest media scandals in German history shook the public: Michael Born, a self-made journalist, had faked over twenty reports for the newly established private television station between 1990 and 1996. Some seemed amateurish, others dealt with absurd topics: child labor for IKEA in India, drug addicts licking toads to get high, and the Ku Klux Klan in the Eifel region were just some of his numerous fabrications. How did it come to this? Was Michael Born an enlightened figure who subversively exposed the tabloid system, a victim of the system, or simply a bumbling fraud? Film traces Michael Born's footsteps. Put together from hundreds of hours of raw material and the memories of former companions, an incredible story of forgery emerges. A media-theoretical film about levels of reality, fake news, and the question: Why do we actually believe what we see?

Status: Released

Language: DE

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Production Information

Production Companies
MSZ Production and Consulting SWR
Production Countries
Germany
Spoken Languages
German

Quick Facts

Release Date May 28, 2026
Status Released
Language DE
IMDb ID tt37021394

Cast

Michael Born
Michael Born

himself

Roland Berger
Roland Berger

himself

Martin Lettmayer
Martin Lettmayer

himself

Dr. Gabriele Schuster
Dr. Gabriele Schuster

herself

Thomas Pritzl
Thomas Pritzl

himself

Key Crew

Erec Brehmer
Director
Benjamin Rost
Director
Mark Szilágyi
Producer