In the late 16th century Europe was in the grip of a ferocious witch hunt, where thousands were tortured and burnt at the stake. The church was fully behind this terrifying crusade against the imaginary enemies of Christianity. In France and Germany alone up to 40,000 people may have been killed as witches. But England and Scotland were almost untouched by witch persecutions until King James himself decided to launch his own, personal war on witchcraft.
In 1597 King James VI of Scotland published 'Daemonology', a handbook on how to recognise and destroy, witches. The book explored the threat that 'those Detestable slaves of the Devil', posed to James himself. It fuelled waves of witch hunting throughout Britain.
The legacy of James' 'Daemonology' continued throughout the 17th century, and led to the torture and execution of hundreds of women in a series of infamous witch trials. No-one knows exactly how many men and women died in these trials, such as the Pendle trial of 1612, or how many others were killed in cases that never came to court. The documentary reveals the purges in many areas of Britain drew directly on King James' book. Also for the first time, remarkable new archaeological evidence from Cornwall, suggests that witchcraft was actively practiced for centuries, even during the most intense periods of witch-hunting. Experimental archaeologist Jacqui Wood has excavated strange pits lined with swan's feathers, and filled with animal skins and human remains. She believes the pits were ritual offerings inspired by witchcraft beliefs.
Historian Dr Micheál Ó Siochrú presents award-winning director Maurice Sweeney’s gripping docudrama, which re-evaluates the role and character of England’s most influential democrat. Cromwell: God’s Executioner has drama, excitement and action, combined with a poignant reflection on the horrors of war. If you thought you knew Cromwell, think again.
Acclaimed filmmaker Leanne Pooley directs this insightful documentary examining the future of artificial intelligence and the impact it will have on our world. As computers continue to evolve at an ever-greater speed, soon they will have the capacity to design and program themselves. Without the help of humans, the next generation of computers will create new and smarter A.I. at an exponential pace. What will these technological developments mean for the future of mankind? Written by GFC Film
What could the fate of the Villa Empain, Baron Empain’s crazy project in Brussels, which has gone through a long and eventful journey since its completion in 1934, possibly inspire? Katharina Kastner’s challenge was to draw the portrait of the place, keeping in mind the work of time, like in a human existence. Shot in 16mm, her film appeals to the senses, it captures the stirring of leaves undulating in the garden light, the movement of iridescent pearls, or the colourful games of a piece by Daniel Buren. Without a word, but with a caressing camera, she pays close attention to the hidden patterns on the gorgeous marbles, or to the veins in the most precious types of wood used to decorate the rooms. In slight touches, regardless of the monumental aspect of the 27.000 square-feet villa and the pool that so impressed its first visitors, Katharina Kastner o ers an organic vision of the place, which has been marked by the trials and tribulations of life, and used successively as a museum, an embassy and a squat, until its final renovation. The clever editing makes furtive connections, underlines colour associations, mixes up times and tactile sensations, while the spaces we explore keep rustling. The film takes us on a reminiscing journey, with slices of Empain’s life, from the family archive here on a holiday, there playing on the beach, images from a distant past that keep haunting the premises. The film reveals to us this living space that was designed like a piece of art, but it does so in a wandering way. This dream vision guides us through the villa like an echo of foregone fantasies, a mental space, but also a welcoming backdrop for the work of time. A bit like the fingerprint work we see in the film, or the slight touch of a pencil on a blank sheet.
电视动画《ARGONAVIS from BanG Dream!》改编自同名乐队企划作品,2019年11月宣布了动画化的决定。由SANZIGEN负责动画制作,2020年4月播出。北海道函馆。融合了欧洲和日本文化,华丽的建筑林立的街道——我们在这个城市相遇,碰撞,然后命运之船驶向闪耀的大舞台。不久意识到这首歌是命运。
Writer and broadcaster Stephen Smith finds out what it took to survive and prosper in the most artistic, decadent and dangerous royal courts in history.
Archaeologist Julian Richards returns to some of his most important digs to discover how science, conservation and new finds have changed our understanding of entire eras of ancient history.
Pagans of Roman Britain
1/4 Julian Richards goes back to the excavation of two burials from Roman Britain.
Families of the Stone Age
2/4 Archaeologist Julian Richards returns to the excavation of two burials from the Stone Age.
Sacred Women of the Iron Age
3/4 Julian Richards returns to the excavation of two very different Iron Age women.
The First Anglo-Saxons
4/4 Julian Richards returns to the excavation of two early Anglo-Saxon cemeteries.