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In the 4th century, when the Roman Empire, weakened by barbarian invasions, was at its lowest, Constantine the Great decided to create a Christian Empire, and positioned his new capital, Constantinople, on Greek territory. The Eastern Roman Empire would go down in history as the Byzantine Empire, named after the colony, Byzantium, on which Constantinople was founded.

From 330, the date of Constantinople's foundation, to 1453, the date of the city's capture by the Ottomans, over a thousand years of conquests, ups and downs, were written the history of Byzantium, at once Roman, Christian and Greek, neither entirely Eastern nor entirely Western, straddling Antiquity and the Middle Ages.

Why does Vizier Weni the Elder, who lived some 4,300 years ago, have two tombs? And why did he refuse to be buried next to Pepi I Meryre, the divine figure who opened the gates to eternal life for him? As Egyptologists make the discovery of one of his tombs, they investigate this enigmatic figure and an era that was both a golden age for ancient Egypt and the beginning of its decline.

Recent discoveries suggest that profound political and religious changes were at work in Egypt during the time when the vizier became one of Egypt’s highest officials under Pepi I Meryre. Egyptologists from the Franco-Swiss archaeological mission to Saqqara are attempting to uncover important and magnificent remains from this golden age of Egyptian civilization, with their sights set on a mysterious tomb they believe to be that of Weni the Elder, a great figure and vizier during the reign of Pepi I Meryre. However, he already had his own tomb, which was discovered in 1860 by Auguste Mariette and his team, in the necropolis of Abydos, 400 km away from Saqqara, where he held high office until his death. It was here that his monumental biography was found, engraved in a three-meter-long limestone block: a famous biography which, when compared to inscribed blocks that were unearthed at Saqqara, led Philippe Collombert to think that it could be Weni the Elder.
 

The story of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas is always portrayed the same: the explorer travelling in a caravel, planting the Christian cross one knee on the ground and meeting with a new people. By following Caribbean, European and American researchers as they investigate the remains that were left behind by Indigenous peoples, this archaeological and scientific the documentary sets out to destroy the myths that have persisted to this day. From Puerto Rico to Cuba, from Martinique all the way to French Guiana, this investigation takes us on an adventure to appreciate exceptional landscapes and make incredible discoveries following in the footsteps of the pre-Columbian Indigenous Caribbeans.

When Christopher Columbus landed on an island in the Bahamas in October 1492, he didn't just discover a new world, he also met a whole new people. He called them “Indians” and perceived some of them as “good savages” and others as “ferocious cannibals”. This documentary tells the story of how two different worlds met, and it does so through the eyes of the people of the West Indies. Rock paintings, ritual objects, bones and pottery shards tell a new narrative, quite different from the one that was passed down by European settlers. So, who were the pre-Columbian people of the West Indies? How did they meet the Europeans? And finally, did they really disappear, as is often claimed? To answer these questions, we will be unveiling archaeological sites and presenting new scientific experiments to try and learn more about this fascinating civilization.

Museums and monuments give visitors the opportunity to contemplate ancient Greek works in sparkling white. Yet science reveals what time has erased from the colossi to the facades of temples and statues: a profusion of gold and colors. With the help of new technologies and through experiments, researchers are trying, between controversy and amazement of the public, to tell us this other story in polychromy. 
 

In the nineteenth century, researchers in Italy, Egypt, and Greece rushed to excavate archaeological sites, often washing ancient artifacts and stripping away their original colors. This reflected a period mindset that ignored the vibrant polychromy of the past. Today, scientists challenge this long-standing misconception, seeking to reveal the colorful truth of ancient art. Although clues have surfaced over time, the full spectrum of these works remains elusive. Using advanced technologies, researchers now are looking to understand the significance, techniques, and use of pigments in historical civilizations. Through interdisciplinary efforts, they reconstruct the original appearance of sites like ancient Knossos and the Parthenon marbles, as well as iconic sculptures like the Venus de Milo. By bringing these "bleached" masterpieces back to life in 3D and color, they offer a new perspective on the past. This ongoing investigation puts the spotlight on the work of ancient painters and invites us to see history through new, vivid lenses. 

With exclusive footage of Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalists reporting from Gaza, this film is a unique insider's account of a conflict that most of the international media have been prevented to access freely. It tells the story of these journalists who, risking their lives, continue to report the news under rocket fire, while also ensuring their own survival and that of their loved ones.

Gaza reporters Mai Yaghi, Adel Zaanun, Mohammed Abed, Mahmud Hams and Yahya Hassuna have covered numerous wars on behalf of AFP. But the current conflict in Gaza is unlike any other.  During up to seven months, they were constantly torn between their mission to inform the world, the struggle for survival and the fear of becoming a target.  From their exile in the UK, Qatar, Egypt, Belgium or France, they look back at the darkest months of their existence.

Dead at the age of 24 after starring in only three films, James Dean remains the icon par excellence, whose influence endures 70 years after he passed away. More than just a face and an attitude, he transformed the perception of masculinity, embracing his flaws, his doubts, his fragility, his loves, forging himself into an anti-hero. His life continues to inspire, making him a timeless legend and a paragon of freedom. 

Through his distinctive personality and the three films he starred in, Elia Kazan's East of Eden (1955), Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Georges Stevens' Giant (1956), James Dean created breaches in Hollywood rigidities, and helped reinvent masculinity in a more flexible way. His screen presence, marked by vulnerability and rebellion against classic masculine norms, introduced a less rigid male model. Dean, a modern man of many facets (he was openly bisexual), challenged conventional portrayals of manhood, becoming an icon of sensitivity and complexity. His unique contribution has had a lasting influence on the perception of masculinity, establishing a new ideal of the emotional, conflicted man, far removed from the unfailing heroes of yesterday. 

The nuclear era, revived today by Vladimir Putin, began in Los Alamos under Robert Oppenheimer, who developed the atomic bomb for the Manhattan Project. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Oppenheimer opposed the hydrogen bomb and was accused of disloyalty in 1954, leading to his downfall. This film, using interviews and declassified FBI files, examines his complex legacy and enduring remorse.

Jellyfish blooms happening around the world are increasingly making headlines in the international media. This is due to the damage they cause to tourism, fishing and our health. How are animals made up of over 98% water, with no shell, skeleton or brain, capable of such massive expansion?

Although this is a normal stage in the life cycle of these gelatinous animals, we have to admit that blooms have become much more frequent and massive in recent decades. We're even witnessing jellyfish populations appearing in more and more regions where fish have been replaced by them, such as off the coast of Namibia, in the Black Sea, in the Sea of Japan and in certain areas of the Baltic Sea. What causes this? Why has the role of jellyfish in the ocean been underestimated, even though they outlived the dinosaurs? Are jellyfish on their way to dominating the oceans as they once did? What if they were to be the only ones left?

This current affairs documentary investigates right-wing terrorism and how it’s related to the political polarization across the Western World, through an ongoing investigation conducted by European intelligence services.

Extreme right-wing terrorism is becoming an ever-bigger threat in Western societies. Since 2015, sixteen terror attacks have taken place in Europe. Far-right violent extremist groups are now the second most important threat after Islamic terrorism in Europe and white supremacism has become the greatest terrorism threat in the US. This risk has become even more present with the current crises that our societies are facing, such as the isolation related to COVID-19 or the war in Ukraine. This close-up investigation delves into the cases of previous terrorist attacks worldwide and gives voice to present and former far-right activists, victims, militants fighting ultra-right and antiterrorism officers. This film raises awareness on a growing threat which represents a critical challenge to our democracies and tries to understand the link between these acts of terrorism and the growing political polarization and the mainstreaming of extremist beliefs in contemporary societies.

Researchers are delving into the grimoires of the brilliant medieval Arab civilization to find treatments for infectious diseases. Over a 1000 years ago, Arabic scientists initiated modern pharmacy by bringing together knowledge from ancient history and faraway lands, which they then experimented with and enriched.

To help invent the medicines of the future, a cross-disciplinary team has come up with an innovative approach: making something new out of something old! A microbiologist with a passion for history and a historian who was also trained to be a chemist, immersed themselves into old manuscripts from the medieval Arab world, which dated back to the year 1000, to unearth forgotten anti-infective treatments, replicate and test them in a lab. Using modern techniques, the team hopes to derive new antibiotics and thus contribute to the fight against antibiotic resistance, which is one of the greatest challenges that medicine is facing today. In following their quest, we uncover a fascinating and little-known period of history, between the 7th and 15th centuries, when a brilliant civilization stretched from Spain to the banks of the Indus. These two stories, though a millennium apart, are proof that the future can be rooted in a brilliant past, provided we can revive long-neglected knowledge.

Algorithms and data are the new weapons in the war that is being waged between the world's major powers. This film reveals what lies behind TikTok's extrodinary rise. 

For several months, investigations carried out by journalists and information gathered by various intelligence services have shown that TikTok allows the Chinese government to access hundreds of millions of data from American and European users. This data is fundamental when it comes to conducting influence or cognitive wars and can be a real weapon in the event of an armed conflict. A war of narratives is thus being waged: banning TikTok means preserving the liberal order embodied by the United States in the face of the Chinese Communist Party, which would use artificial intelligence to undermine democracies. This emerging doctrine within public opinion, crystallizing around TikTok, is just the tip of the iceberg. Algorithms and data have become strategic assets for governments. Having control over them is essential in an increasingly polarized world.

Over thousands of years, we humans have mastered the use of alcohol, caffeine, cocaine, LSD, psilocybin, THC, morphine...
 
But did you know that our feathered, furry and leggy cousins have mastered it too? Way before we did, animals discovered plants, fruits, mushrooms and other animal species that get them high...

Does this altered state of consciousness serve any useful purpose for the species that indulge in it, or does it actually harm them? Do some animals seek pleasure for pleasure's sake? What are the effects of this high on the group? Can animals become addicts? And finally, what can they teach us about our own taste for these substances?
 
From elephants in South Africa to cats in Majorca, from American cows to Finnish reindeer, dolphins, shrews and birds, this is a film entirely shot and delivered in 4K.