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Exile - A Myth Unearthed (BBC Version)

2013 59 min
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It has been depicted in artwork and lamented in poetry and prayer for nearly 2,000 years: the exile of the Jewish people from their homeland in the first century AD, following the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. But what if the exile never happened? That is the central, provocative question of Exile: A Myth Unearthed, a documentary that looks at the exile through the lenses of archaeology, history, myth and religion, asking what it means for our understanding of history and the contemporary struggle over land in the Middle East. Since 1985, teams of archaeologists have been painstakingly …

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Exile - A Myth Unearthed (BBC Version)

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It has been depicted in artwork and lamented in poetry and prayer for nearly 2,000 years: the exile of the Jewish people from their homeland in the first century AD, following the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

But what if the exile never happened?

That is the central, provocative question of Exile: A Myth Unearthed, a documentary that looks at the exile through the lenses of archaeology, history, myth and religion, asking what it means for our understanding of history and the contemporary struggle over land in the Middle East.

Since 1985, teams of archaeologists have been painstakingly unearthing artifacts from the ancient town of Sepphoris, in Galilee. Their findings are revolutionizing our knowledge of Jewish history.

Exile travels from Sepphoris to Masada, from Jerusalem to the catacombs of Rome, and features interviews with leading historians and archaeologists. Throughout the film we also follow a group of tourists visiting sites in the Holy Land and hear the traditional interpretation of events such as the siege of Masada—an interpretation which stands in sharp contrast to recent evidence.

The issues raised in Exile are of more than passing historical interest. The myth of exile is an essential narrative in Middle Eastern and European history, and of critical importance to both Christian and Jewish theology. And the possibility that many Jews, such as those of Sepphoris, simply remained where they lived, raises uncomfortable questions. Could some Palestinians actually be their descendants?
  • director
    Ilan Ziv
  • writer
    Serge Gordey
    Alfonso Peccia
  • developer
    Serge Gordey
    Michael Betcherman
  • story editor
    Thomas Wallner
  • director of photography
    Philippe Bellaïche
  • editor
    Alfonso Peccia
  • original music
    Robert Marcel Lepage
  • sound designer
    Michel Lambert
  • additional camera
    Danor Glazer
  • camera assistant
    Miki Israel
    Adi Moses
  • lighting
    Yana Mitnick
  • sound
    Naftali Chen
    Idan Shemesh
    Luca Chiari
  • art director
    Hili Tsarfati
  • animation producer
    Hili Tsarfati
  • narrator
    Dorothée Berryman
  • initial concept animation artist
    Meinert Hanson
  • animation artist
    Yoav Gal
  • associate producer
    Maryse Chapdelaine
    Jelena Popovic
    Mélanie Lasnier
  • line production
    Janine Heath
    Laurence Favreau
    Sigal Rosh
    Stefano Strocchi
    Giusy Buccheri
  • post-production supervisor
    Chantal Pagé
  • casting
    Chantal Pagé
  • research
    Sigal Rosh
    Stefano Strocchi
    Giusy Buccheri
  • archival research
    Marie Maggiolo
  • scouting
    Mozer Films
  • camera services
    Utopia Ltd.
  • lighting services
    Utopia Ltd.
  • production services
    Nahel Al Nashash
    Violet Bawab
  • technical coordinator
    Jean-François Laprise
  • technical support - editing
    Pierre Dupont
  • credits
    Gaspard Gaudreau
    Mélanie Bouchard
  • online editor
    Denis Pilon
  • voice recording studio
    Les Vilains Garçons
  • re-recording mixer
    Jean Paul Vialard
  • production assistant
    Christine Richard
  • post-production assistant
    Elisabeth Kiraly
  • trailer editor
    Ilan Saragosi
  • location translator
    Nidal Rafa
  • marketing manager
    Jenny Thibault
  • marketing manager - assistance
    Karine Sévigny
  • administrator
    Johanne Dubuc
    Susan MacGrath
  • production coordinator
    Hélène Regimbal
  • administrative assistant
    Lise Lévesque
  • production accountant
    Raluca Alexe
  • accounting services
    Kay Warburton
  • legal services
    Danny Webber
    Remy Khouzam
  • producer
    Amit Breuer
    Serge Gordey
    Christine Camdessus
    Colette Loumède
    Ilan Ziv