The Archaeology Channel International Film Festival returns with some of the world’s best cultural heritage films for its 21st annual edition in Eugene, Oregon from May 15th to the 19th, 2024

The 27 films in the competition cover a variety of fascinating subjects from around the globe: places as far apart as Cambodia and Peru and across the human timeline from the time of the Neanderthals 80,000 and more years ago to the contemporary Indigenous Aboriginal people of Australia. That’s just a start. How about the newly discovered pre-Columbian inscriptions relating the fall of the ancient Maya kingdoms, new insights into the music actually played by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, the preservation of real Neanderthal footprints on a French beach, and archaeological excavations and discoveries beneath the floor of Notre Dame Cathedral? And we have much more, including the Q&A by Dr. Alison Carter of the University of Oregon after a film featuring her archaeological research at Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

“The film-making world is producing more and more truly outstanding films about the human past and diverse cultures around the globe. These films are inspiring as well as entertaining. A central goal for us is to promote the development of this film-making genre and to draw audiences to support it. Festival film-makers hail from many countries and US states,” says Festival Director and ALI head Rick Pettigrew. “Our 2021 launch of Heritage Broadcasting Service gives film-makers another good reason to participate in Lane County’s longest-running film festival, as we often select premium content from the Festival to stream on Heritage, and this competition is a perfect proving ground. This year’s lineup of films is outstanding in terms of diversity, innovation and quality film-making. We very much look forward to bringing people together to enjoy this wonderful form of storytelling.”

The following is a list and brief description of the films in this year’s Festival competition:

Ancient Sea Peoples of the North Atlantic – Ancient, ocean-adapted culture once inhabited the East Coast.

Angkor: The Lost Empire of Cambodia – The most extensive urban complex of the pre-industrial world.

Bone Stories – Bones bear the traces of the life experience of an individual, of a community, and of a people.

A Bronze Halberd: A Symbol of Civilizational Change – The rapid leap from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age.

Diving in Aegean History – First systematic underwater archaeological survey around Kasos Island reveals much.

Diving into History: 50 Years of Exploring Our Maritime Heritage – Each shipwreck tells a different tale from the long and rich record of British maritime history, from the Bronze Age to today.

Doggerland – Animated drawings envision pre-Neolithic tools, weapons and lives at the bottom of the North Sea.

The Enigma of Keros – Aegean Sea island excavations have transformed our understanding of the Cycladic enigma.

Fall of the Maya Kings – KomKom vase details wars, power struggles, failing governance, drought, and murder.

Finding Enok: Coping with Our Colonial Past – To be an “Indo,” or partly colored, in modern Indonesia.

Francisco Albo: Greek Seamen in the First Voyage Around the World – Little-known Greek naval pilot manages to return to Spain with the only surviving ship of the Magellan circumnavigation.

Homeland Story – Aboriginal family’s moving struggle in transition from nomadic life to the digital age.

In Search of the Lost Music of Antiquity – Music archaeologists revive the musical soundscapes of antiquity.

Incas: The New Story – Advanced tools and proliferating research revise interpretations of the vast Inca Empire.

Neanderthal: The First Artist – Surprising cave engravings could have been drawn by Neanderthals.

Neanderthal: In the Footsteps of Another Humanity – Recording rare Neanderthal footprints on a French beach.

Notre-Dame de Paris: Preventive Excavation at the Transept Crossing – Fire allows cathedral excavation.

Ocean One K: Archaeologist of the Abyss – Humanoid archaeologist-robot explores otherwise inaccessible depths.

Odyssea – Panoramic story of human cultural evolution from the Paleolithic to the end of the western Roman Empire.

Old Drystones: First Farmers of the Mountains – Little-known Neolithic archaeological ruins in the French Alps.

Sala 5: Raphael’s Cartoon Room – Restoration of preparatory drawing made for Raphael’s famous Vatican fresco.

Shoals and Shipwrecks of Port Royal Sound – Historical research, remote-sensing and diving in South Carolina.

The Soul of a Man – Experimental film about Vespasiano Gonzaga’s city, Sabbioneta, and the Italian Renaissance.

They Never Left: Indigenous Reclamation and Return in the Southeast – Reclaiming ancestral lifeways.

The Time They Spent Here – Preserving Neolithic rock art in Sweden by manual and advanced digital techniques.

When the Romans Called upon Their Gods: Grafitti Dedicated to the God Mercury – Writings on ancient temple wall in Savoy convey wishes, offerings and thanks, and even historical accounts of otherwise unknown events.

Wonder of Andalusia: Medina Azahara – Dig outside the Caliph’s palace reveals massive, mysterious building.