Content from Gedeon Programmes

When Notre Dame Cathedral caught fire in 2019, Paris came perilously close to losing more than 800 years of history. As engineers rebuild, researchers use cutting-edge technology to piece together what happened and restore the cathedral.

Why do 600 inhabitants of the small southern Spanish town of Coria del Río bear the surname "Japón"? It is the legacy of an unusual expedition that took place 400 years ago: In October 1613, the samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga boarded the galleon "San Juan Bautista" on behalf of the ruler Date Masamune in Sendai, Japan. In addition to merchants, warriors and Spanish sailors, the Spanish Franciscan monk Luis Sotelo, who spoke fluent Japanese, also embarked. The legation wanted to obtain permission from the Spanish King Philip III and Pope Paul V to open a new sea route to India alongside the spice route; in return, Christian missionaries were to be sent to Japan. When he set off, Hasekura Tsunenaga had no idea that the journey would take seven years. Who was this Japanese samurai? What is known about his motives and what is known about the actual background to the expedition?

Documentary about the 1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec, part of the Seven Years War between Britain and France. Both leaders, Wolfe and Montcalm, died in the battle, which decided control over what would become Canada. Includes re-enactments of the battle and the personalities of the two commanders. For two months Montcalm and Quebec City endured English bombardments. However, in what the documentary describes as an exceptionally well planned operation during the night of September 12th, Wolfe got 4500 men and two cannons up L’Anse-au-Foulon cliffs to the Plains of Abraham. Montcalm, who never commanded an army before being posted to New France, chose to leave the city walls and try to fight a linear battle against a better trained army.

A never-before-seen portrait of the artist’s life through his entire body of work, from his sketches as a child prodigy until his final paintings.

What do French presidents have in common since 1948? Queen Elizabeth II! In June 2022, England will celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. And even though France hasn't had a monarchy for nearly 150 years, French interest in royalty is not waning. This documentary examines 70 years of Franco-British relations between Queen Elizabeth II and the Presidents of the Republic. Elizabeth II, the most French of British queens, was born in 1926.

Based on the latest technological and scientific advances, this documentary explores the palace's architectural past to resurrect Louis XIV's vanished Versailles. Versailles was an ongoing building site at the time of Louis XIV and continued to be transformed by its successive occupants later on. The Versailles we know today only vaguely resembles the Versailles of the Sun King. Most of its original features and apartments no longer exist. Thanks to the digitisation of thousands of plans, a team of scientists takes us back in time to explore this forgotten past in a new way, through a large-scale reconstruction project to bring back the Versailles of Louis XIV as he designed it, according to his requirements and dreams.

Chambord, the most impressive castle in the Loire Valley, in France, a truly Renaissance treasure, has always been an enigma to generations of historians. Why did King Francis I (1494-1547), who commissioned it, embark on this epic project in the heart of the marshlands in 1519? What significance did he want the castle to have? What role did his friend, Italian genius Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) play? Was he the architect or who was?

Join an extreme expedition to the top of Antarcticaís highest peak- Vinson Massif. In this high-altitude adventure, Jon Krakauer, author of Into Thin Air, world-class mountaineer Conrad Anker, and their team of climbers, scientists, and filmmakers take a trailblazing expedition to the top of Antarcticaís tallest peak, Vinson Massif. Along the way, their experiences are contrasted with those of Norwegian adventurer Roald Amundsen and British explorer Robert Falcon Scott who in 1911 raced to be first to reach the South Pole.Krakauerís insightful narration takes you to the driest and coldest continent on earth where the team embarks on an extreme mission to not only to summit Vinson by traversing the unclimbed east face, but also to determine its exact height and to take snow measurements that will help scientists study weather patterns.

A short distance from Marseille, at Cape Morgiou, in the depths of the Calanques massif, lies the Cosquer cave, discovered only about thirty years ago by a diver, Henri Cosquer. With its bestiary of hundreds of paintings and engravings - horses, bison, jellyfish, penguins - the only underwater decorated cave in the world allows us to learn a little more about Mediterranean societies 30,000 years ago. Today, threatened by rising water levels accelerated by global warming, this jewel of the Upper Paleolithic is in danger of being swallowed up. To save the cave from disappearing, the Ministry of Culture has chosen to digitize it. From this virtual duplicate, a replica has been made on the surface to offer the public a reconstruction that allows them to admire these masterpieces.

What started as a simple tomb became over a 2,000 years history the universal seat of Christendom and is today one of the most visited museum in the world with invaluable collections of Arts, Manuscripts, Maps. Using spectacular 3D modelisation and CGI to give viewers as never before a true understanding of the history of this architectural masterpiece and its extensions, the film will also use animation to tell relevant historical events. This heritage site reveals new untold secrets with the help of historians deciphering the Vatican’s rich archives and manuscripts collection and following the restorations at work (newly discovered frescoes by Raphael) and recent excavations. A story where Religion, Politics, Arts and Science meet to assert religious authority and serve as a spiritual benchmark.

Thanks to new excavations in Mauritius and Madagascar, as well as archival and museum research in France, Spain, England and Canada, a group of international scholars paint a new portrait of the world of piracy in the Indian Ocean.

The White Planet or in French, La Planète Blanche, is a 2006 documentary about the wildlife of the Arctic. It shows interactions between marine animals, birds and land animals, especially the polar bear, over a one year period. The fragility of the Arctic is hinted at as a reason to prevent climate change. It was nominated for the Documentary category in the 27th Genie Awards in 2007.

From the burning deserts to the icy steppes of the poles, from the green meadows to the tropical forests, insects occupy every ecosystem on the planet. An astonishing, fascinating and yet long ignored world. Who are they? Where do they come from? When did they first appear? How and why have they diversified and multiplied so much? Today, new methods in paleo-entomology, in the exploration and analysis of fossils and living organisms reveal the extent to which insects have contributed to shaping our world. They have even participated in the evolution of humans. At a time when some of their species are in danger of extinction and their place in ecosystems is being questioned, this film tells the fascinating story of the mysterious insects and the secret of their origins.

In the context of the World Aids Day on the 1st December 1994, the French Ministry of Defence commissioned the producer Raymond DEPARDON to make a film to show to all new French military recruits called up for their national service, in which they gave their 'personal' views on the AIDS (Sida) problem. Each year about 240.000 young men are called to do their military service in the French Armed Forces. They remain in bases both in France and in French overseas territories, the film will be projected throughout these multiple installations. The 'on camera" interviews by Depardon were authorised without any form of restriction by the military authorities, selecting a scattering of young men from all walks of life who will spend 10 months under the flag. They were each free to give their own personal opinions related to the Aids problem, without any form of censorship.

The remarkable true story of the woman behind the worldwide waxworks empire - Madame Tussaud. In an astonishing life that spanned both the French and Industrial revolutions, this single mother and entrepreneur travelled across the Channel to England, where she overcame the odds to establish her remarkable and enduring brand. Determined to leave an account of who she was and the times she lived through, her memoirs, letters and papers offer a unique insight into the creation of the extraordinary empire which bears her name.

Documentary paints a portrait of the versatile actor Javier Bardem ("Jamon Jamon"), who plays disturbing roles. His talent has already earned him four Oscar nominations and an award for best supporting actor in the US feature film "No Country for Old Men".

The realm of the supernatural has never been more absurd and wacky than with Professor Zarbi and his loyal assistant, Benjamin. An expert in paranormal activities, Zarbi makes it his duty to solve conflicts between the human and the occult world.

Discover some the most beautiful sites in the Japan, the great spectacle of nature and the subtle balance that prevails between tradition and modernity.

Enjoy a bird's-eye view of Japan's amazingly diverse landscapes, as well as intimate portraits of people leading contrasting lives.

Enclaves, loaned territories, disputed areas and microstates: This is the series that looks at places with absurd borders.

Whether they were born in Brazil, Argentina, Japan, South Africa, or Cameroon, they all learned how to cook in France. Meet these young and creative chefs who drew their know-how from their unique gastronomic cultures. Filled with a passion for taste and texture, this journey reveals the secrets of their cooking and takes us to the places that have inspired these chefs.

This collection presents some of the world’s great capitals and international megacities (Paris, New York, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Rome and Bangkok) from the unusual viewpoint of their rooftops! Rooftops are highly revealing of the ways in which cities address the twenty-first century’s social, economic, demographic and ecological challenges as well as reflecting the image cities project of themselves and their inhabitants. Rooftops can be places for working, living, and cultivating one’s garden…

A series of five documentary films entitled In the footsteps of Tintin, following Tintin with a cameraman! The films are based on the theme ‘dreams and reality’. How many people, young and old, have dreamed of being a fearless hero, of travelling around the world defying danger, and of exploring far-off lands, like Tintin? This series is based on the close relationship between Hergé’s drawings, and real people and places. Arresting and inspiring sequences of images, video and sound from exotic countries, alongside pictures from Tintin’s adventures and all kinds research material accumulated by Hergé during his lifetime, make for an unforgettable experience. If you really want to step into Hergé’s universe, what better way to do so than to follow his adventures first-hand, by foot, on horseback, by camel, by car, by boat, by train and by aeroplane!

If money makes the world go round, perhaps nothing makes money go around the world like tourism. It has become one of the fastest growing industries in the world. But have the planet’s must-go-to destinations become victims of their own success? Overbooked explores the complexities of an industry that on one hand caters to the basic human desire of movement and hospitality but on the other, highlights the economic, environmental and social harm of mass travel.

At its height, the Roman Empire encompassed Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. How did it keep prospering for over 400 years? And why did it come to a rapid end? What can we learn from the Roman Empire and what guiding principles does it offer us today?

The series takes us on a journey around some of the world’s most dangerous routes, with some rather unique truckers. As we accompany them on their everyday adventures, we will explore the most hostile regions, the most extreme conditions and the most unpredictable tracks. Consisting of three seasons, the series lets viewers discover landscapes, cultures and roads that stray from the beaten path.

In April 2014, Paris Zoo opens its doors to the public after two years of huge restoration works. Two years to invent a new kind of zoo. With the complicity of a veterinary and an animal or a group of animals, each episode of the series will tell the story of the arrival of an animal at the zoo or a particular event that marked its reopening, including all the stages and issues that characterize them. Each episode will focus on a central story with an emblematic animal but the other species will also be present in our series through sub-plots.

A documentary series closely follows the work of four emerging pastry chefs in France: Nina Métayer, Nicolas Multon, Maxime Frédéric, and Marion Goettle. They are between 20 and 30 years of age and have very diverse backgrounds. Some learned from their grandmothers, while others attended great schools. And everyone talks about pastry as if it were a work of art.