Once Upon a Time on Florès Island

March 2008, the famous journal Science publishes an article confirming that human bones found in 2004 on the island of Flores in Indonesia are indeed those of a new species of human being. These tiny people lived there just a few thousand years ago.

The scientists have baptized this new cousin "Homo floresiensis", the Flores Man. Finding a new human species is an event in itself. Knowing, thanks to palaeontologists, that these human beings were barely bigger than a modern child is particularly surprising. Learning, thanks to geologists, that these tiny people lived barely a few thousand years ago and could have possibly come into contact with our species, Homo sapiens, further arouses our curiosity. In addition, the information, backed up by scientific proof, that these tiny men lived on an island inhabited by pigmy elephants and giant dragons casts us into a dream-like world. Finally, hearing the elders of the island tell stories and legends featuring little men covered with hair leads us to make the obvious connection between these tales and the scientific discovery… and disorientates us, carrying us off to a fantastic world that is nonetheless totally real.

This film plans to tell this story at the intersection of science and legend, or rather "recount" it. Except that here everything is real, backed up by the scientist's latest discoveries.

Selected at Pariscience 2010
See the showing : Saturday 09th October 2010 from 10h00 to 11h30