Cave of Forgotten Dreams – Chauvet Cave Documentary

Earlier today a video interview with Werner Herzog was posted on the Guardian regarding his recent documentary “Cave of Forgotten Dreams“. The film, shot in 3D, visits Chauvet Cave in Southern France and highlights the spectacular cave paintings within.

Photo by HTO

The cave paintings which are estimated to be more than 32,000 years old are some of the earliest known. To protect them access to the cave is extremely restricted, only allowing small numbers of people for short periods of time.

This documentary is important because it allows anyone be able to view the art without causing possible harm to it. Being that it has been filmed in 3D should only make the experience more immersive.

Chauvet Cave was first explored in December 1994 by a small group of speleologists. In addition to the cave paintings, they also found fossilized remains, prints and markings from a variety of different animals, some of which are now extinct. The cave was later named after one of the speleologists on the trip, Jean-Marie Chauvet.

While the documentary comes out today in the UK, but the United States will have to wait until late April.

Chauvet Cave [ukCaving.com]