The Free, Arkhaios Film Festival on October 19 Will Present Recent Documentaries That Spotlight Archaeological and Ethnological Research Findings
The Kimbell Art Museum will present three films on Sunday, October 19, 2025: The Lost Tombs of Notre-Dame, Vitrum: Rome’s Glass Revolution, and The Rise and Fall of the Incas: The Golden Age. The free, three-hour festival is part of the Arkhaios Cultural Heritage and Archaeology Film Festival, which presents recent documentary films that preserve cultural heritage and promote understanding through ethnological and archaeological research. This will be the US premiere for two out of the three films: Vitrum and The Rise and Fall of the Incas.
“Now in its thirteenth year, the Arkhaois Film Festival occurs every October, as part of the month-long celebration of International Archaeology Day, and brings together an impressive group of experts—including archaeologists, anthropologists, and filmmakers—to select both full-length and short documentary films for virtual screenings,” said Connie Hatchette Barganier, head of education at the Kimbell Art Museum. “The Kimbell is excited to again participate as an in-person screening venue to show three documentaries from among the longer list of over thirty titles recognized by the Festival.”
The complete schedule and film details are below:
2–2:05 p.m.
Introduction
2:05–2:55 p.m.
The Lost Tombs of Notre-Dame
Director: Florence Tran, Producer: Christine Le Goff, Marion Papillon, ZED (France)
(52 min.)
Following the fire that ravaged Notre-Dame de Paris, an extraordinary archaeological dig revealed unexpected treasures that had been hidden for centuries beneath the cathedral’s stone floor: two lead sarcophaguses, along with sculpted fragments from a monumental wood screen destroyed in the eighteenth century. This film features the fascinating historical and scientific investigation conducted by a team of specialists—including archaeologists, anthropologists, forensic scientists, art historians, and restorers—who employ cutting-edge technology to shed fresh light on the history of Notre-Dame.
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3–3:55 p.m.
Vitrum: Rome’s Glass Revolution
Director Marcello Adamo, Producer Marcello Adamo, Filmare Entertainment and GA&A Productions (Italy)
(52 min.)
In 2013, Italian engineer Guido Gay discovered an ancient shipwreck between Corsica and Italy at a depth of 360 meters. While the cargo was initially thought to be ballast stone, it soon became clear that the ship was delivering tons of glass in varying degrees of workmanship. This remarkable discovery, the second of its kind, prompted the formation of a Franco-Italian archaeological team to investigate the wreck’s cargo, now known as the Capo Corso 2, onboard the Alfred Merlin. This film explores the significance of glass in Ancient Rome through the team’s deep-sea archaeological research, and how the development and dissemination of glassmaking methods changed human civilization forever.
4–5 PM
The Rise and Fall of the Incas: The Golden Age
Directors Quentin Domard and Elsa Haharfi, Producer Céline Payot Lehmann, Pernel Media (France)
(56 min.)
From the Saqsaquayman fortress to the lost city of Vilcabamba, passing through Lake Titicaca and the Machu Picchu archaeological site, this documentary takes us on a journey to uncover the last mysteries of the Inca civilization. Interviews with international scientists and explorations of major archaeological sites will be complemented by 3D CGI animations that will re-create long-vanished Inca monuments, including the legendary citadel of Machu Picchu.
Details: The Arkhaios Film Festival will be Sunday, October 19 from 2–5 p.m. at the Kimbell Art Museum in the Piano Pavilion Auditorium, 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth. Free; no registration required, but space is limited.
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