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Portraits (5)

  • The First Emperor of China
    The First Emperor of China
    Tony Ianzelo  &  Liu Hao Xue 1989 42 min
    This historical drama tells the story of Qin Shihuang, who unified China’s vast territory and declared himself emperor in 221 B.C. During his reign, he introduced sweeping reforms, built a vast network of roads and connected the Great Wall of China. From the grandiose inner sanctum of Emperor Qin's royal palace, to fierce battles with feudal kings, this film re-creates the glory and the terror of the Qin Dynasty, including footage of Qin's life-sized terra cotta army, constructed 2,200 years ago for his tomb. The First Emperor of China was shot entirely in IMAX.
  • The Lost Pharaoh: The Search for Akhenaten
    The Lost Pharaoh: The Search for Akhenaten
    Nicholas Kendall 1980 56 min
    This feature documentary tells the story of Akhenaten, an ancient pharaoh who was almost lost to history. The film follows Canadian archaeologist Dr. Donald Redford, who uncovered the foundation of one of the pharaoh’s many temples, in his attempt to finally piece together this great Egyptian ruler’s enigmatic story.

    Viewer Advisory: This film contains scenes of animal slaughter.
  • The Man Who Discovered America
    The Man Who Discovered America
    Ralph Maud 1981 20 min
    This short documentary looks at the Norwegian explorer Helge Ingstad, who uncovered the remains of a Viking settlement at l'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland in 1960. His search for traces of Norse settlements took him from the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico to the Far North of Canada. His numerous expeditions, many of them recorded on film and narrated by Ingstad, form the basis of this fascinating film about a man who is said to have discovered America in a way that few have or ever will.
  • Mug of a Diver
    Mug of a Diver
    Roland Savoye 2007 51 min
    Jean-Claude Roubaud's passion is the sea. He's a diver, and for over 15 years has been making his childhood dream come true: earning his living finding sunken treasure. To be more precise, Jean-Claude has become an expert in underwater archaeology. Through his mask he's seen enough treasures to make a museum conservator blench - and Jean-Claude's not one to boast. In 1991 he met a man with the same enthusiasm: Franck Goddio. With his team, Jean-Claude gained enough experience to become a dive master, exploring the world's seas to recover treasures lost in the briny deep.
  • The Vinland Mystery
    The Vinland Mystery
    William Pettigrew 1984 28 min
    This short documentary depicts the search, discovery and authentication of the only known Norse settlement in North America - Vinland the Good. Mentioned in Icelandic manuscripts and speculated about for over two centuries, Vinland is known as "the place where the wild grapes grow" and was thought to be on the eastern coast between Virginia and Newfoundland. In 1960 a curious group of house mounds was uncovered at l'Anse aux Meadows in northern Newfoundland by Drs. Helge Ingstad and Anne Stine Ingstad of Norway. Added to the United Nations World Heritage List, l'Anse aux Meadows is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in the world.