The film follows archaeologists in a discovery story of a mysterious island on Lake Lednickie in central Poland. Archaeologists located a royal residence established in the mid-Tenth Century by Prince Miezko I of the House of Piast, ruler of the original Polish principality. In 966, Miezko converted to Christianity. A body of evidence indicates that the ceremony for his baptism and the official adoption of Christianity in his realm took place in the royal chapel on Ostrow Lednicki Island. Later, his son Boleslaus the Brave, first king of Poland, made Ostrow Lednicki a favorite residence. The island’s grandeur perished in a dramatic attack by a hostile force, because of which it managed to keep its secrets undisclosed until today. The archaeologists’ virtual reconstruction of the island stronghold and re-enactments in this film present the story of life and the events that happened here over a thousand years ago.
Length: 44 min.
Country: Poland
Language: English
Director: Zdzislaw Cozac
Producer: Zdzislaw Cozac, Media Promocja
Producer Web site: www.mediapromocja.com
Distributor: Media Promocja/Polish Television
Distributor Web site: www.mediapromocja.com
Awards/Selections:
24 Rassegna Internazionale del Cinema Archeologico Rovereto 2013
This documentary revolves around the story of the Edgefield, South Carolina, slave potter named David Drake. David, who used his skills as a craftsman, created beautiful pottery, which included jars and pitchers, during the turbulent 1800s. While producing thousands of pots in his lifetime, David also wrote poetry. He was one of the first African-American slaves to sign many of his works. His story is a testament to his willingness to be heard and to leave his mark for ages to come, even at risk of severe punishment.
Length: 49 min.
Country: USA
Language: English
Director: George Wingard and Mark Albertin
Producer: George Wingard and Mark Albertin
Producer Web site: www.scrapbookvideoproductions.com
Distributor: George Wingard, Savannah River Archaeological Research Program; Mark Albertin, Scrapbook Video Production
Distributor Web site: www.srarp.org
Awards/Selections:
Finalist - Dixie Film Festival, Athens Georgia, 2013
Audience Favorite, Arkhaios Cultural Heritage and Archaeology Film Festival, Hilton Head, Sc 2013.
Davis Bottom: Rare History, Valuable Lives reveals the fascinating history of a diverse, working-class neighborhood. Davis Bottom, established in 1865, is one of about a dozen ethnic enclaves settled primarily by African-American families who migrated to Lexington from the 1860s to the 1890s in search of jobs, security and opportunity. Davis Bottom, located in a narrow, swampy valley about a mile south of downtown Lexington, is named after Willard Davis, a land speculator and civil rights advocate who became the Attorney General for the State of Kansas. Over the past 150 years, residents have made this small, tight-knit neighborhood a hidden model for racial diversity and community cohesion. Today this enclave is facing a challenge with the construction of the Newtown Pike Extension, a roadway that has displaced many residents. This part of history is now being documented as part of The Davis Bottom History Preservation Project.
Length: 56 min. 40 sec.
Country: USA
Language: English
Director: Thomas M. Law
Producer: Thomas M. Law, Voyageur Media Group
Producer Web site:http://www.voyageurmedia.org
Distributor: Kentucky Archaeological Survey
Distributor Web site:http://anthropology.as.uky.edu/kas
Awards/Selections:
Nov 27, 2013, Public Television Premier, Prime time broadcast statewide on Kentucky Educational Television.
Nov 30, 2013, Prime time broadcast, statewide on Kentucky Educational Television.
Dancing Salmon Home is an emotional journey of loss and reunification, across generations and oceans, as members of the Winnemem Wintu tribe of northern California travel to New Zealand to meet their long-lost Chinook salmon family relatives who were missing from their McCloud River homeland for 65 years. Along the way, the 28 tribal members hold four days of ceremony beside New Zealand’s Rakaia River, forging enduring bonds with the Maori people of the region, sharing a message of respect for the natural world and launching plans to bring their salmon home.
Length: 66 min.
Country: USA
Language: English
Director: Will Doolittle
Producer: Will Doolittle
Producer Web site: moving-image.com
Distributor: Moving Image Productions
Distributor Web site: dancingsalmonhome.com
Awards/Selections:
Best Documentary Feature, 2012 American Indian Film Festival, San Francisco
Festivals: 2013 Wild &Science Film Festival, Nevada City, CA
2013 Peace on Earth Film Festival, Chicago, IL
2013 American Documentary Film Festival Palm Springs, CA
2013 Focus Film Festival, Chico, CA
2013 Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival, Palmerston North, New Zealand
Screenings: Eugene Premier, May 2013
Redding, CA, Premier, May 2013
Over the past 50 years, thousands of exquisitely painted Maya vases, almost all looted from tombs, have flooded into public and private collections. These amazing works of art have opened an extraordinary window into the Maya past. But the race to unearth these treasures has destroyed temples and palaces, culminating in the takeover of entire ancient cities by looter armies. Dance of the Maize God enters the world of the vases to explore the royal life and rich mythology of the Maya, as well as the tangled issues involved in the collection and study of Maya art. The story is told by villagers, looters, archaeologists, scholars, dealers, and curators. For each, these vases have a radically different value and meaning.
Length: 96 min.
Country: USA
Language: English
Director: David Lebrun
Producer: Night Fire Films
Producer Web site: www.nightfirefilms.org
Distributor: Documentary Educational Resources
Distributor Web site: N/A
Awards/Selections:
Jan. 2014-preview screening at The Maya Meetings in Antigua, Guatemala
Completing the Circle symbolizes the completion of human migration around the world. By being the first people to cross the North Atlantic and encounter indigenous people in North America, the Vikings closed the circle. This film explores the following questions: Who were the Vikings, otherwise known as the Norse? How and why did they end up at L’anse Aux Meadows? What were they looking for? Why camp at L’anse aux Meadows? Where is Vinland? Did they encounter indigenous peoples? Why did they leave? Why didn’t they stay longer? What archaeological evidence remains of the Norse presence at L’anse aux Meadows? How was the site discovered? The video is not meant to give a full description of the historic site and it does not replicate the on-site experience. Instead, it sets the context for the site and reveals the broader significance.
Length: 16 min.
Country: Canada
Language: English
Director: Dan Forgues
Producer: Sound Venture Productions
Producer Web site: www.soundventure.com/
Distributor: Parks Canada
Distributor Web site: www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/nl/meadows/index.aspx
Awards/Selections:
Shown to visitors at the L’anse aux Meadows visitor center since July 2012.
3,600 year-old reliefs in Egyptian tombs and temples depict pharaohs and warriors proudly riding into battle on horse-drawn chariots. Some historians claim that the chariot launched a technological and strategic revolution. But was the Egyptian chariot really a revolutionary design? How decisive a role did it play in the bloody battles of the ancient world? In Building Pharaoh’s Chariot, a team of archaeologists, engineers, woodworkers, and horse trainers join forces to build and test two highly accurate replicas of Egyptian royal chariots. They discovered the use of advanced features, including spoked wheels, springs, shock absorbers, anti-roll bars, and a convex-shaped rear mirror, leading to the comparison of design to the engineering standards of the 1930s era Buicks! By driving our pair of replicas to their limits in the desert outside Cairo, NOVA’s experts test the claim that the chariot marks a crucial turning point in ancient military history.
Length: 52 min.
Country: USA
Language: English
Director: Martin O’Collins
Producer: A TV6 production for WGBH/NOVA
Producer Web site: www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/pharaoh-chariot.html
Distributor: PBS International Distribution
Distributor Web site: www.wgbhinternational.org
Awards/Selections:
Entered into CAID (international Science Film Festival)
Pariscience