German Unity Day
The film premiered on 3 October 2006, the German Unity Day. As of end November 2006, circa four million people had seen the film in German theaters, making it the most commercially successful German documentary film. The film was shown on December 6, 2006 on German public TV channel ARD, and was viewed by more than 10 million people. The DVD was released on 8 February 2007. Parts of the proceeds of the film's merchandising are earmarked for SOS Children's Villages.