EXCLUSIVE: A documentary charting an expedition to the ancient capital of Genghis Khan’s empire is in the works with French outfit Pernel Media.
Pernel’s premium history show is being developed for France Télévisions’ Science Grand strand. The indie has secured exclusive access to an expedition to Karakorum, the ancient capital of the most famous Mongol Emperor’s realm.
The 2024 expedition, led by local Mongolian archaeologists and German and French experts Jan Bemmann and Marie Favreau, will use technology such as isotopic and DNA analysis to uncover secrets that could rewrite the ruler’s history. Far from being a barbarian nomadic military chief, the film will tell a new story of the Mongol emperor who changed the face of the world by founding an empire connecting the east and the west.
The as-yet-untitled doc is being prepped as a 90-minute feature and two 45-minute episodes. A deal with a distributor is close and the show is being introduced at the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers in Seattle this week.
“This expedition marks a significant turning point in our understanding of Mongolian culture and history,” said exec producer Fabrice Frank. “We know Genghis Khan as a symbol of cruelty and terror, but we want to unveil the city builder, the peacemaker and the promoter of progress.”
Frank is exec producing the project with Pernel founder Samuel Kissous. Pernel’s past credits include Rise and Fall of the Mayas, which was boarded by Nat Geo, and Ghettoes of the Shoah for ARTE France.
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