Emma Baus

Summary: Long before the arrival of Homo Sapiens or even Neanderthals, other humans populated Europe during intense ice ages half a million years ago. Three exceptional sites bear witness to their passage.   Located at the foot of the Pyrenees mountain range and excavated for over 60 years, the Tautavel cave has yielded unprecedented discoveries: countless animal fossils, bifacial tools and 152 human remains – including a 450-000-year-old skull – belonging to a little-known species: Homo heidelbergensis. More recently, Atapuerca – a UNESCO World Heritage site in Spain – overtook Tautavel as the oldest humans in Europe. Meanwhile, the lakeside site of Schöningen (Germany) assured the exceptional preservation of organic materials, including wooden artefacts, bear bones and human footprints.   How did these humans survive a hostile environment and extreme climatic conditions? How did they behave? What techniques did they develop? With the discovery of new deposits, revelations emerge, gradually sketching the portrait of Europe’s first inhabitants.   Using the latest scientific advances and cutting-edge technologies, this film changes the way we look at our distant ancestors, whose cognitive abilities never cease to amaze us.

Grand Prix 2024 des Rencontres Archéologiques de la Narbonnaise.
Le mot du jury : « Ce film archéologique nous entraine à la suite de l’équipe de recherche de Tautavel, dans un passionnant voyage dans le temps. Le récit empreint de prudence et de nuances, nous offre de beaux moments de poésie visuelle et prend le temps de révéler les mystères du passé. »

Grand Prix du Jury 2024 du festival Objectif Préhistoire
Le mot du jury : « On s’est fixé un idéal, un film qui ferait de la médiation scientifique, sur un sujet original, qui en même temps aurait des qualités de mise en scène et de narration qui seraient séduisantes et qui sortiraient de l’ordinaire ».

Facebook | Instagram | Vimeo | IMDb | VOD France | LinkedIn