Antibiotics Adventure : Birth of an Empire

Directed by

Pierre Bressiant

Written by

Pierre Bressiant

Produced by

Wake up productions, Marathon

Documentary, France, 2007, 52 min

Does antibiotics overconsumption endanger us?

Antibiotics are undoubtedly the greatest discovery of all time in the field of health. With it, man has managed to neutralize microbes for the first time in history. This fundamental victory has led society to an unprecedented revolution. Life expectancy in Western societies has increased by several decades practically overnight, infant mortality has virtually disappeared, as have many deadly diseases. But the discovery of antibiotics has given humankind the illusion that they can control disease and dominate the natural world.

Through the use of archive images, CGI and interviews with the world’s foremost experts, The Antibiotic Adventure tells the story of one of the most fascinating episodes in the eternal war between man and microbes. Passing from the society of man to that of microbes, the film describes the attacks, riposte, and counter attacks struck by enzymes and molecular pumps invented by each of the belligerents to foil the stratagems of his adversary.

Debate with :

• Antoine Andremont, professor in the Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital. In charge of the bacteriology laboratory
• Pierre Bressiant, director