Cuissot, Pascal

In the South of France, a fascinating archaeological investigation takes place in the Mandrin Cave. The archaeologist Ludovic Slimak discovered an exceptional number of fossils and flints attesting that Neanderthals occupied the site for more than 80,000 years. These remains also reveal the arrival of the first Homo sapiens, 54,000 years ago, in Western Europe. It seems that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens met here, on the banks of the Rhone river! Then the team digs out a Neanderthal specimen. A very rare discovery. Named Thorin, he belongs to one of the last Neanderthal lineages. These past 25 years diggings in the Grotte Mandrin, rewrite the scenario of the Neanderthals extinction and the way they were replaced by Sapiens. On these two major questions, the Grotte Mandrin sheds a new light.

Is it crazy to say that cinema was invented in the Palaeolithic period, 20,000 years ago? A new interpretation of Paleolithic art paintings and engravings has shown that prehistoric artists were able to break down the movement of animals depicted on cave walls, as a primitive form of animation film. Not only that, they also had the ability to graphically express a story, a way of telling stories through sounds and images.Official Section. Place: Amaia K.Z. (Irun)

It seems difficult to believe that new information about the Coliseum, one of the great architectural gems of Ancient Rome, can still discovered at this stage. And yet this documentary shows exhaustive work being carried out that gives us new knowledge about the monument that is considered to be an example of the best artistic and constructive genius of the Roman Empire. Archaeologists and historians join forces to re-investigate the architecture and the use of this media tool for imperial power. Built in the 1st century A.D. by the Emperor Vespasian to legitimise the power of the new dynasty, the Coliseum had unlimited resources to seduce the people of Rome.