Regina Ziegler death and ZDF programming change, Digi Mart USA News: German film producer Regina Ziegler, often described as the uncrowned queen of German cinema, has died. She died unexpectedly on November 1, 2026, at the age of 82, according to the publisher report.
Ziegler was a pioneer who founded her own production company in 1973 at the age of not quite 30. She remained active until the end of her life, and her latest film, Heimsuchung – Eine Jahrhundertgeschichte, opened in German cinemas in mid-October.
In response to her death, the public broadcaster ZDF quickly changed its programming and aired several films she had produced. On Saturday, November 7, 2026, ZDF will broadcast the TV film Die Holzbaronin at 12:15 p.m., starring Christine Neubauer.
The three-hour family saga follows Elly, a woman from the Black Forest who, in the 1950s, fought hard to become chairwoman of the supervisory board of her family company. Shortly after her triumph, she is arrested and accused of killing her husband.
Flashbacks during her interrogation reveal more about her life.
Ziegler’s work spanned television formats such as Tatort as well as cinema, covering a wide range of genres and collaborators. In the 1970s she produced the author films Ich dachte, ich wäre tot and Fabian, directed by her husband Wolf Gremm, both of which were highly praised by critics.
She also produced Gremm’s science fiction film Kamikaze 1989, featuring director Rainer Werner Fassbinder in the lead role, his last big-screen appearance before his death in 1982. Until the end of her career, Ziegler moved between worlds, realizing projects such as the comedy series around Familie Bundschuh and the anti-war film In Liebe, Eure Hilde about German resistance fighter Hilde Coppi.
