Biography
Arndt Ginzel was born in 1972 in Spremberg, then part of the former GDR, and grew up in Bautzen. After studying at the University of Leipzig, he began working as a freelance journalist. His focus quickly shifted to television, where he soon became a regular contributor to investigative programs such as "Frontal21" (ZDF) and "Die Story im Ersten" (ARD). As a freelance journalist, he also published articles on news platforms like Zeit Online and Der Spiegel, covering topics such as organ trafficking and the so-called "Saxon Swamp" corruption scandal. In 2015, he was briefly detained by pro-Russian separatists while conducting field research on the conflict in eastern Ukraine. In 2017, he received the Bavarian Television Award for his report "Spiel im Schatten - Putins unerklärter Krieg gegen den Westen" about how Putin attempts to influence contemporary inner German politics by supporting right wing activists and politicians.
An incident in August 2018 caused a great stir, including internationally, when Ginzel, reporting for "Frontal21", was subjected to a 45-minute police check by the Saxon police while covering a Pegida ("Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West") anti-Islam, far-right demonstration in Dresden. In mid-February 2022, Ginzel witnessed the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the ground and has been reporting from the region as a war correspondent ever since. In 2022, he was awarded the "Leuchtturm-Preis für besondere publizistische Leistungen" by the Network for Reporting. The following year, he received the German Television Award for his coverage of the war on Ukraine.
Ginzel's first documentary feature also focused on the Ukraine conflict. "White Angel - Das Ende von Marinka" ("White Angel - The End of Marinka") follows a former policeman in the city of Marinka who tries to evacuate people from the affected neighborhoods during Russian air raids. The film premiered at the DOK Leipzig festival in October 2023, and had its theatrical release shortly thereafter.