Described by film trade magazine Variety as “prehistoric rock art as rarely seen before,” the film was made entirely using 3D models of the original cave, an innovative line of special effects, and a voice-over narrative offering an immersive and cinematic journey in 3D of the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc painted cave. The film offers an experience of the cave that may be similar to one had by the first people who visited it in prehistoric times.
Recognized as one of the world’s most ancient rock art sites, dating back 37,000 years, Chauvet is thought by some to be the birthplace of art and a symbol of exceptional human creativity. Discovered in 1994, the cave is incredibly large and houses paintings that are very well-preserved due to their isolation from weather and human and animal activity. Closed to the public due to conservation concerns, it is considered one of the oldest underground sanctuaries in the world.
“The Final Passage is the first of a series of shorts which we are creating in collaboration with other major archaeological sites of universal significance,” says film producer Martin Marquet. “We aim to provide international audiences with an opportunity to discover in a cinematic and emotional manner some of the greatest sites of human history, which are, for the most part, closed to the public or have greatly restricted access. The art and the technology used in The Final Passage are the blueprint of our ambitious 3D film series project, and we’re excited to be celebrating the first of its kind with the Getty Conservation Institute, with whom we have mutual interest in preserving and sharing the monumental importance and beauty of our ancient cultural heritage.”
“Rock art has been created continuously from prehistory until the present times and on every continent,” says Neville Agnew, senior principal project specialist at the Getty Conservation Institute. “It is often sublime art and part of the archaeological record of humanity. It allows us to peer back in time, however dimly, into the minds and belief systems of our most ancient forebears as long ago as 40,000 years before the present. While these incredible works are not seen in museums, films like the one being shown at the Getty offer an opportunity for rock art to gain a larger interested audience, and in turn, increase awareness of the conservation issues that this art continues to face.”
The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion on the making of this film, the preservation of the site, and the archaeology of rock art.
More about The Final Passage and Rup’Art Productions
The Final Passage is an uninterrupted journey through the pre-historical Chauvet painted cave. Created and presented in 3D and in an uncut single-shot sequence filmed with a subjective camera, lions, mammoths, bears, and half-human, half-animal figures come to life in this hyper-realistic digital reproduction and short animated film.
Rup’Art Productions is a French based film production company specializing in the development, financing, and making of independent short and full-length feature films, produced and presented in both 2D and 3D formats, and conceived to support and promote digital renderings, 3D models and audiovisual contents supplemental to preservation and exhibition programs of rock art sites. Rup’Art Productions works in synergy with local authorities, aboriginal communities, and various institutions to make the appropriate scientific and cultural resources available to enhance the promotion of major archeological sites.
More about the Getty Conservation Institute
The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) has long recognized rock art as universally significant cultural heritage. Since 1987, the GCI has led projects to improve rock art conservation practices and offered courses on rock art conservation and site protection and management, including work the Rock Art of Baja California, in Baja California, Mexico. Projects have focused on the examination and documentation of sites; causes of deterioration; protective measures; and site interpretation, with an emphasis on site protection. The newly available report Rock Art: A Cultural Treasure at Risk is the result of the deliberations from a series of courses and workshops on the management of rock art as part of GCI’s ongoing Southern African Rock Art Project (SARAP), as well as an exchange program between rock art specialists, managers, and custodian communities from Southern Africa and Australia. The publication World Rock Art by Jean Clottes—a volume of the GCI’s Conservation and Cultural Heritage book series—is part of an effort to educate the public about rock art.