"Notre-Dame: What Lies Beneath"
ZED announces "Notre-Dame: What Lies Beneath" (52' 4K), a dedicated documentary about Notre Dame's unearthed treasures produced by ZED (Christine Le Goff and Marion Papillon) for ARTE France and negotiations are in progress with American and Japanese broadcasters.
In February 2022, archaeologists working on the renovation of Notre-Dame discovered two sarcophaguses and fragments of a rood screen under the transept. The ZED company - present on the site - filmed the discovery and obtained exclusive access to the research conducted in order to determine its origin. A dedicated documentary will soon unveil these never before seen images.
This discovery is all the more unexpected as no remains had been unearthed since the restoration work carried out by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century. Recent excavations filmed by ZED revealed 2 lead sarcophagi and 1,500 fragments of a medieval rood screen, presumed to have been completely destroyed in the 18th century. The first sarcophagus remains were quickly attributed to the canon Antoine de La Porte (17th century). The second is still anonymous but its embalming suggests a high social status. Scientists continue the investigation... The fragments are sifted to establish the origin of the rood.
Simultaneously, ZED completed the production of the documentary series "Rebuilding Notre Dame" (3x52’ 4K) for ARTE France and NHK, with the participation of CNRS Images, INRAP, Cité de l’Architecture & du Patrimoine and the Établissement public chargé de la conservation et de la restauration de la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. Directed by Vincent Amouroux, the series is already available for sale.