Inspired by true events, Olympic swimmer Harry Melchior defects from East Germany in the 1960s and hatches a daring plot to help his sister and others flee East Berlin through a 145-yard underground tunnel.
The Tunnel is a 2001 German made-for-television historical drama film directed by Roland Suso Richter. It is loosely based on true events in Berlin following
the closing of the East German border in August 1961 and the subsequent construction of the Berlin Wall. The theatrical release is 20 minutes shorter than the original television version. The subtitled English version was released in 2005.