ARTE Distribution

The history of anti-Semitism is a story of demonization that is deeply intertwined with the societies, countries, and ages where it takes place.

It is the story of anti-Semites, of those who, over time, have made Jews their worst enemies. Indeed, at certain times in their history, societies have had a need for a common enemy to unite or galvanize their people, to divert attention, or to serve as a scapegoat. At other times, Jewish people have happily integrated within the communities where they live.
 
This series examines the twists and turns of this story, from Antiquity to the modern day, from the shores of the Mediterranean to those of the Volga, and from the Iberian Peninsula to the birch forests of Poland. It will encompass Stalin and Pope John XXIII, Hitler and Alfred Dreyfus, King Louis IX or Saint-Louis as he was subsequently known, and Spinoza; some figures of hatred, others more benevolent characters.
 
The visual framework of the narrative will comprise both the traces left around the world, and remarkable 3D historical reconstructions created for the video game Assassin's Creed, acting as illustrations from the past, along with photographs and film archives from more recent times. It will draw upon research and analysis carried out by prestigious and respected academics. Eschewing witness testimonies and subjective opinions, it will bring together a wide range of contribution from some 30 historians, psychologists, and psychoanalysts to explore the multiple facets of the phenomenon and how they have evolved over time.
 
It will focus on specific stories from each era that mark out and illustrate the form of these manifestations of violence and hatred in an enlightening and moving manner. It will also provide context for the fightback against this recurrent phenomenon.
 
This four-episode series paints a comprehensive picture of this, “the longest hatred”.

She changed the course of History: a cold case following the most enigmatic heroine of the Middle Ages. Dive into her epic rise and a spectacular fall, with 3D animations and never-seen-before documents of her rehabilitation trial. 

An epic rise and a spectacular fall: the destiny of a young village girl who claimed to have been sent by God to save France from the English invaders. Exalted by an entire people, she had the ear of the powerful, became a war leader, won decisive battles, liberated cities and had her king crowned. Her adventure would take a tragic turn – at the age of 19, she was burned alive at the stake after a mock trial. A deep dive into European medieval history, between animation and historical documentary.
 
MOOD VIDEO
VIDEO PRESENTATION

The incredible story of archaeologists discovering the remains of a Buddhist city of incredible wealth, from which they are unearthing thousands of treasures.

The ancient city of Mes Aynak, literally "the source of copper", built its power on the precious metal present in its subsoil. On this site, active for more than a thousand years, the monks did not just carry out religious activities. They abandoned their currency and created a banking network throughout the region. It is this wealth which gave them the means of an intense cultural production, as evidenced by the many treasures found by archaeologists: more than three thousand statues, but also parchments, pieces of goldsmith's work, jewels, pottery ...
The Mes Aynak site offers a unique opportunity to explore Afghan Buddhism, a period of history that still has many secrets to reveal. The remains could allow archaeologists to understand in what ways the religion of Buddha, born in the plain of the Ganges, was shaped here, in the heart of Central Asia, before spreading to the rest of Asia.

The Conquistadors wrote the story of the Inca Empire as we know it. 10 years of recent scientific and archeological research has allowed us to uncover another truth that contradicts history books. Where the Inca people come from, how they were organized, and why they disappeared so suddenly. 

A few decades ago, here is what we thought we knew about this mythical people, considered as a bloodthirsty giant with feet of clay. Born on the shores of Lake Titicaca in the 14th century, the Incas would have conquered, in just a hundred years, a boundless land of more than a million km2, comparable to the Roman Empire. Valley after valley, mountain after mountain, the Incas would have tamed the whole of the Andes.
 
This ruthless Empire, not possessing writing, and run with an iron fist by the Inca, the Son of the Sun, inflexible and cruel sovereign, would then have collapsed like a vulgar house of cards against a handful of Conquistadors. These are the preconceptions that have long prevailed, and which archeology is working to rectify.
 
A traveling investigation Inca Empire: a giant is revealed is above all a field survey which, over the course of the story, will help clarify the course of history of the Incas by answering 3 main questions: - What are the origins of the Incas: Were they really born on the banks of the mythical Titicaca? Is Pachacutec really the founder of the Empire? - How did the Inca giant develop: Was violence the only weapon of the Incas? How could they rule over such a vast empire without writing? - How did the Inca Empire collapse: How was their resistance organized? Where is their last stronghold? Through these questions, which will govern the story, the movie will ultimately answer a big question: who was the Inca giant?

Today, the Louvre Museum picks up where the Egyptologist Auguste Mariette left off in 1850! Exclusive access to follow a team of archeologists to (re)discover the Serapeum tomb of the bull Apis, one of the most sacred place in Saqqara, Egypt.

He also managed to map out a network of underground tunnels leading to other burial sites he did not have time to uncover. We have the exclusive access to follow a team of archeologists, mandated by the Louvre Museum, to pick up where Mariette had left off.

In the Middle Ages, Paris gave birth to the world’s most famous stone edifice: Notre-Dame. 7 centuries have passed since its construction. Watch history come alive thanks to 3D reproduction of the monument. A dramatic tale of ambition, talent, destruction, blood and rebirth. 

We tell the incredible 700 year saga of the builders and Church’s Men who invented modern day architecture in France and throughout Europe. Driven by the quest for perfect harmony, they created one of the most emblematic sacred monuments known today. 3D animation and documentary will come together in a history film to give an accurate representation of this great historical fresco. Indeed, the fictional tale, entirely in animation sequences will be the backbone of the film, around which the documentary scenes will be built to provide specific historic and technical explanations.

Nominee at the Buzzies of World Congress 2020: award for the Best History Program/Content - Long Format

World history through a few major dates: history comes to life under our eyes with bold and entertaining graphics, revisited through the prism of memory.

A date is a snapshot, a flashback which requires crossing disciplines such as history, art, archeology and literature for a vibrant and sensitive reading of the past. It arouses our childhood curiosity, recalling when we dreamed of a time machine.
The series is conceived to potentially become a key reference in teaching history.

Jesus, the founding figure of Christianity, is also an exceptional character in the Qur’an. Why? In what way? This series leads the investigation, with 26 of the greatest specialists from around the world and explore the emergence of Islam during the tiem of Muhammad. 

By the creators of “Corpus Christi.

A historical and scientific enquiry into the origins of the New Testament and the life of Jesus Christ involving specialists from all over the world.

Corpus Christi explores the question of Jesus seen historically and through the texts which tell us about his life. Corpus Christi tackles the viewpoints of the most eminent researchers worldwide who are working on the subject. Corpus Christi enables us to understand just how spectacular the distance is between what we know about Jesus - or what we think we know - and what is known by historians, linguists, bible scholars, and epigraphers who are endlessly analyzing and questioning the most fundamental Christian texts.

Released on DVD by ARTE Video

Best Historical Documentary - Nuit Des Clio 1997.

In 1945, Nasser’s project to build a lake in Southern Egypt threatened to submerge hundreds of ancient temples, including of Ramses II and Cleopatra. Thanks to an unprecedented international mobilization, discover how this exceptional heritage was saved.

When they returned from southern Egypt, travelers reported the existence of temples between the Nubian desert and the Nile. Majestic stone colossi emerging from the sands kept the doors and their secrets. For centuries, Abu Simbel, Dendur, Amada and other monuments were victims of looting, earthquakes, desert encroachment and floods, only to end up almost being swallowed up by the waters in the 20th century. In 1954, the announcement of the construction of a dam threatened the whole of Nubia and more than 20 ancient shrines. Some temples were dismantled in a hurry and relocated to artificial islands, others were even shipped abroad in places such as Madrid, Turin or even New York. Former construction site workers attest to the grueling working conditions during operations. We also present archives revealing the ingenious rescue plans explained in 3D animations.
 
This documentary directed by Olivier Lemaître won the "Alfredo Castiglioni" prize from the technical jury and the audience prize at the Archeofilm festival 2020 in Varese (Italy).

Almost 100 years after the discovery of King Tut's Tomb, it is time to tell the story in a new light. This film uses 2D and 3D imagery to reconstruct the tomb, the mummy, the funerary objects and the topography of the famous Valley of the Kings. 

Ninety years later, for the first time, most of these objects will finally be brought together in the precinct of the great Museum of Giza. Some of them will make their way to the U.S.A. and Paris, where they will be exposed at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industries in the autumn of 2018 - and then in London, Berlin, Tokyo and Sidney. This film is the story of the discovery of a treasure of which we know only a few artefacts. It is also an investigation, and these objects will be so many clues along the way. What do these artefacts tell us about the king and the period of his reign ? In what circumstances were they discovered and taken away from the pharaoh’s tomb ? These are some of the many elements of this documentary narrative. 
 

Best film prize for its scientific contribution at the 17th International Archeology Film Festival ICRONOS in 2020

Discover the history of European peasants, from the 6th century to the present day, in a four-part series that travels the European countryside following the traces of its hidden history, which has long remained unwritten.

From the sixth to the twentieth century, most of the European population was peasants. In other words, peasant history can be read as the history of Europe itself.  However, because their culture and historical tradition was oral, most of the peasant history is unknown. The dominant ones were the only ones to leave written traces and they spoke about peasants hardly ever. There are many descriptions of fields and harvests, but the peasants remained invisible – like if the wheat grew by itself. On very few occasions, they appeared in written stories but always from the point of view of the masters. They were described as a wild and uncultivated mass that should not be educated because it would prevent them from working the earth. Today, the contemporary historians’ perspective sheds a new light on the history of the rural world to see the peasants no longer as passive objects but as the autonomous actors of their own history.