L'anthropologue canadien Niobe Thompson essaie de pister l'homo sapiens afin de comprendre ce qui lui a permis de coloniser le monde, en partant de l'Afrique. Ancien enseignant en anthropologie à l’Université d’Alberta au Canada, Niobe Thomson a choisi de troquer les amphithéâtres contre les caméras. Il tente d’expliquer dans ce film, en s’appuyant sur les interviews de paléontologues et de généticiens du monde entier, pourquoi une unique race de pré-humains, parmi celles qui cohabitaient il y a entre 50.000 et 40.000 ans, a réussi à subsister, de quelle manière elle est parvenue ensuite à se perpétuer, à coloniser la planète en partant de l’Afrique et du Proche-Orient et à engendrer ceux que nous sommes aujourd’hui… Ce nouvel opus, très documenté sur cette période de notre évolution se laisse regarder avec plaisir et intéressera toutes les générations.

While the earliest works of art of mankind depicted horses, the early history of the two species remains largely unknown. From the last nomadic peoples of the Altai Mountains to the Bedouins of the Arabian Peninsula and the Blackfoot Indians, Canadian anthropologist and filmmaker Niobe Thompson traveled the world for two years. He went to meet these communities who live in osmosis with their horses, and tried to understand the history and the nature of the very special bond between man and animal. At the same time, the work of German evolutionary biologist Martin Fischer allows, thanks to a 3D animation, to bring back to life the ancestor of the horse, whose appearance is surprisingly reminiscent of a small fox.

With creative spirit, philosophical depth and ‘Succession’ star Sarah Snook as narrator, we get the life story of carbon. Born of the stars, present within ourselves, and with the power to create and destroy. Imagine if carbon could tell us its life story. Born of the stars, present in ourselves and in everything around us, and with the power to create and destroy the world as we know it. That’s the story we get here, and it is a really good one. ‘Succession’ star Sarah Snook gives voice to the elemental with the tarnished reputation. With magnificent animation, the participation of leading scientists, and with creative spirit and philosophical depth, she tells the story – carbon herself, that is! – about what it is like to be an influential celebrity in the world of physics. And about being misunderstood and accused of taking up so much space that it could potentially jeopardise the future of the planet. Energy, climate, survival. Everything connected in the fascinating story of carbon.

Matthew's heart stopped beating on the tattoo parlour table. Now, his parents hold their dying boy. But in their hands they also hold the fates of others: the promise of new lives, and death postponed. With astonishing access and remarkable intimacy, Memento Mori carries us headlong into a world of hope lost, and hope returned. An elegy to the beauty of life in the shadow of death.