The documentary delves deep into the mysterious and catastrophic collapse of ancient civilizations during the late Bronze Age, as empires from Greece to ancient Egypt were wiped off the map. It explores the various theories and hypotheses that have emerged to explain their sudden downfall, revealing the tumultuous events that brought an end to a once-thriving era of human history. Through invasions, mega-droughts, natural disasters, and rebellions, we discover the complex web of factors that were involved. With stunning visual imagery, expert interviews and immersive storytelling, this film offers a fascinating glimpse into one of the most pivotal and enigmatic periods of human history. And it warns that we could be facing a similar combination of threats today.
By cracking the ancient hieroglyphic code, Jean-François Champollion gave words to a thousand-year-old, mysterious civilization - but behind his legendary feat was a mysterious brother who made it all possible. New correspondence discovered between Jean-François Champollion and his brother Jacques-Joseph now allows us to fully understand how a young, self-taught genius was able to make one of the most important discoveries of the 19th century. Without the tireless support and cleverness of his older brother, Jean-François would never have managed to solve this burning, international enigma. Through animated sequences, using their private correspondence, archives and with the help of experts, this film will go back on this one-in-a lifetime scientific, human and intellectual adventure to celebrate the bicentenary of the decoding of hieroglyphs.
Acclaimed biologist Dr. Merlin Sheldrake seeks a rare blue mushroom in Tasmania's ancient Tarkine rainforest, revealing fungi's extraordinary abilities. Fungi may provide solutions to humanity's problems, with millions more species yet to be discovered. All life on Earth is connected by a great mystery we are only just beginning to unravel. Hidden between the world of plants and animals, another world exists… Fungi’s web of life. We’ll begin in the mysterious world of the forest floor, where fungi are the central players in nature’s story of birth, death, and rebirth to discover that life as we know it simply would not exist without them. Dr. Sheldrake will show us some the grandest and strangest organisms ever discovered, showcased through jaw-dropping time-lapse cinematography, in a landscape largely unchanged from the time of the dinosaurs. Fungi have important lessons to teach humanity about survival through cooperation. Indeed, these incredible lifeforms may hold the key to solving some of humanity’s most urgent problems. With millions more species to discover, our journey into the secret world of fungi has only just begun.
In 1915, the ship Endurance sank near Antarctica. Explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew miraculously survived. In 2022, the ship was discovered, some 3000m beneath the water’s surface. Documenting contemporary polar explorers and drawing on original expedition footage preserved and restored by the BFI National Archive, Endurance is an inspiring celebration of scientific curiosity and the indefatigable human spirit of discovery. Maritime Heritage Trust locates Shackleton's shipwrecked Endurance near Antarctica. Shackleton and 27 crew survive incredible journey to South Georgia to seek rescue after ship sinks, showcasing human resilience against all odds.
When Norwegian gamer Mats Steen died at age 25, his parents mourned what they thought was an isolated life. It was only once they had access to his blog that they discovered the deep friendships he created virtually before passing away from a degenerative muscular disease. They were unaware that Mats had long been leading a vibrant digital life that had left a profound impact on a community of fellow gamers. The film takes us on a journey through the breadth of Mats Steen's adventurous online life, introducing us to Ibelin, his charismatic World of Warcraft persona. Through reconstructed animated moments from Mats' gameplay, narrated entries from his blog and interviews with people who knew him as Ibelin, a picture of a remarkable young man emerges, one that underscores how community and soulful relationships can transcend the boundaries of the physical world.
We offer the complete second series of “Ancient Apocalypse” in a single video. In this series, journalist Graham Hancock travels to the Americas to search for evidence supporting his hypothesis: that an advanced civilization was lost to history during the cataclysms that marked the apocalyptic end of the last Ice Age, between 12,800 and 11,600 years ago. Each episode investigates new discoveries being made in the American hemisphere, which until recently has been largely under-explored by archaeologists interested in humanity’s origins. Graham reveals new findings and speculates about how those findings might suggest the existence of a globe-traveling advanced civilization that left traces of itself in ancient cultures. In episode one, evidence from New Mexico’s White Sands desert confirms the presence of people in the Americas long before it was possible to migrate across the Bering Straits that formed a land bridge during the lowered sea-levels of the Ice Age. The series takes us to multiple locations in the US, Mexico, Brazil, Peru and Easter Island to investigate when people first arrived in the “New World” and how they made the journey. The findings give Graham reason to question the accepted timeline of human history. During his journey, Graham interviews highly regarded archaeologists and historians as well as indigenous elders, who share their unique knowledge of the sites and their oral histories. Hollywood actor, Keanu Reeves, also joins Graham across the series, discussing, among other things, his insights into storytelling as an act of preserving culture. Experts in the series include American archaeologist Dr. Chris Davis, Brazilian palaeontologist Dr. Alceu Ranzi, and archaeo-botanist Dr. Sonia Cardinali of Rapa Nui, Easter Island, among others.
Through invasions, mega-droughts, natural disasters, and rebellions, we discover the complex web of factors that were involved. With stunning visual imagery, expert interviews and immersive storytelling, this film offers a fascinating glimpse into one of the most pivotal and enigmatic periods of human history. And it warns that we could be facing a similar combination of threats today.