A moving story of a people reclaiming their cultural heritage after an occupying force tried to erase it. Priceless artifacts from the Assyrian Empire were destroyed during the Isis occupation of Mosul. Now, a team of archaeologists is dedicated to finding pieces that survived. One possible discovery: the location of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Film Interviewees
- Zaid Ghazi Saadallah – Director, Mosul Cultural Museum
- Stefan Maul – Assyriologist, Heidelberg University
- Bekas Hasan – Duhok Directorate of Antiquities and Heritage, Kurdistan Regional Government
- Stephanie Dalley – Assyriologist, University of Oxford (Retired)
- Fadhel Mohammed – Archaeologist, State Board of Antiquities & Heritage of Iraq
- Aaron Schmitt – Archaeologist, Heidelberg University
- Mark Altaweel – Archaeologist / Data Scientist, University College London
- Alana Birsens – Archaeologist, Heidelberg University
- Rafal Fetner – Archaeologist / Physical Anthropologist, University of Warsaw
- Taha Yasin al-Sarraj – Curator, Mosul Cultural Museum
Secrets of the Dead: Returning to Babylon is produced by Lion Television (an All3Media Company), in association with France Télévisions, The WNET Group, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, ZDF Studios, ZDFinfo, and SVT. Narrated by Jay O. Sanders. Producer/Director is Duncan Bulling. Producer is Matias Gaggiotti. Executive Producers for Lion Television are Richard Bradley and Marc Tiley. For Secrets of the Dead: Benjamin Phelps is supervising producer; Stephanie Carter is executive producer; Stephen Segaller is executive in charge.
Funding for Secrets of the Dead is provided by public television viewers.