Berlin, July 23, 2026. Beneath Rome, the Eternal City, lie precious artifacts that bear witness to its unique history. A sensational archaeological discovery serves as the starting point for the ninth film in the DIPLOMATIN series, produced by UFA Fiction on behalf of ARD Degeto Film: Natalia Wörner, an unconventional ambassador, must prevent greed, vanity, and dangerous ambition from triggering fatal consequences. Alongside the title character, Clelia Sarto plays a pragmatic Roman investigator. Langston Uibel portrays the new cultural attaché. The film will air on August 29, 2026, at 8:15 p.m. on Das Erste. It will be available online first starting Thursday, August 27, in the ARD Mediathek.

Director Anna-Katharina Maier and Director of Photography Josef Mittendorfer bring Christian Schnalke’s screenplay to life as a must-see television movie set against the backdrop of remote archaeological sites and the bustling squares of a cosmopolitan metropolis. Alongside Natalia Wörner, Clelia Sarto, and Langston Uibel, the cast also includes Luisa Gaffron, Alexander Beyer, Daniel Christensen, Rocío Luz, Max von Pufendorf, Karla Trippel, and others.

Synopsis: German archaeologist Simone Fechter (Luisa Gaffron) seeks refuge at the German Embassy: She feels she is being pursued, and her doctoral advisor and excavation director, Thilo Kräutner (Daniel Christensen), has disappeared. Karla Lorenz (Natalia Wörner) sees no way to take her in. However, when the pregnant Simone mysteriously disappears shortly thereafter, Karla feels a strong sense of responsibility. She reaches out to Commissario Ricarda Motte (Clelia Sarto), who is simultaneously investigating the murder of a local excavation assistant. Apparently, the case revolves around the spectacular discovery of a pre-Roman Etruscan warrior figurine, which can fetch exorbitant prices on the black market. Stolen cultural artifacts are also at the center of an official assignment: Karla and her new cultural attaché, Florian Martin (Langston Uibel), are organizing the return of ancient Roman ceramics from Germany. What is intended as a gesture of reparation threatens to fail due to accusations of fencing stolen goods leveled by the German archaeologists. Defying instructions from Berlin, Karla sticks to her unbureaucratic approach and descends into the catacombs as part of her investigation…

THE DIPLOMAT IN ROME – DANGEROUS LIES is a UFA Fiction production commissioned by ARD Degeto Film for ARD. The producer is Markus Brunnemann; the executive producer is Dorothea Goldstein. The producer is Arne Packschies. Claudia Luzius and Christoph Pellander (ARD Degeto Film) are responsible for the script. The production was funded by the Italian Ministry of Culture – Direzione Generale Cinema e Audiovisivo.

Accredited journalists can find *The Diplomat in Rome: Dangerous Lies* in the ARD screening room.

About UFA Fiction

UFA brings together its activities in the programming genres of fiction and serial drama, as well as variety, factual, and documentary, under one roof. UFA Fiction oversees production activities in the areas of miniseries, series, TV movies, special events, and feature films, and boasts a remarkable portfolio that has had a lasting impact on the German television landscape. For decades, UFA Fiction has delivered outstanding programming and consistently high ratings, producing for all major partners, both nationally and internationally. Many of its productions have not only been major hits with audiences but have also won numerous national and international TV and film awards, including two International Emmy Awards. These include, for example, successful feature films such as *The Physician* or *The Boy Must Get Some Fresh Air*, as well as special event and high-end drama formats such as *Our Mothers, Our Fathers*, *Germany 83/86/89*, CHARITÉ, KU’DAMM 56/59/63/77, and FAKING HITLER, *SAM – A SAXON* and *ALL YOU NEED*, as well as high-rated, long-running crime series such as *A STRONG TEAM*, *THE DIPLOMAT*, and *SOKO LEIPZIG*. Current UFA Fiction productions include the feature films EMIL AND THE DETECTIVES and HERKUNFT, the high-end series MAXTON HALL – THE WORLD BETWEEN US, GAME OF KEYS (AT), and WHERE’S WANDA? as well as the TV movies *DAS GESCHENK* and *DIE KOBRA VON WINGEN* (AT). The managing directors of UFA Fiction are Markus Brunnemann and Nataly Kudiabor.

Press contacts UFA Fiction:

Janine Friedrich
Head of Communications
janine.friedrich@ufa.de
Tel.: +49 30 700185 379

Caroline Frenzel,
Manager Public Relations
caroline.frenzel@ufa.de
Tel.: +49 30 700185 381

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The press release as pdf for download: