- Title: UAE documentary says unearthed new information about the first humans
- Date: 19th December 2019
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (DECEMBER 16, 2019) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) "HISTORY OF THE EMIRATES" SERIES DIRECTOR, DAVID LEE, SAYING: "So one of our experiences involved you being a pearl diver's apprentice, so you get to hang out in the boat on the sea where the head pearl diver explains what your job is gonna be and you get to see what kind of a boat you would be on and then using new camera techniques we also got cameras under the water as well, 360 (degree) cameras under the water." VARIOUS OF DAVID LEE IN OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) "HISTORY OF THE EMIRATES" SERIES DIRECTOR, DAVID LEE, SAYING: "We were approached by a partner in the UAE who had an opportunity for us to do this, and they approached us because we've got 27 years of experience of making history and other documentary programs, wildlife, adventure and biography. And so we had a great track record. And also, I think what we bring as well is a huge amount of different skills, different technologies, different techniques to bring history to life.
- Embargoed: 2nd January 2020 11:37
- Keywords: UAE United Arab Emirates documentary
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK / UNKNOWN FILM LOCATIONS
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK / UNKNOWN FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: UAE
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Film
- Reuters ID: LVA008BAN73H1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The director of new documentary series focusing on the history of the United Arab Emirates spanning 125,000 years said they had made new discoveries about the first humans on earth.
The filmmakers behind several David Attenborough documentaries said they found evidence that the first humans crossed from Africa to the Emirates along a route that was never considered before.
Actor Jeremy Irons voices the new "History of the Emirates" series and the project was produced by EMMY and BAFTA award-winning production company Atlantic Productions for National Geographic.
A three-part series has been made for UK audiences and a more in depth five-part series is being released in the UAE by the company behind Attenborough's "Rise of Animals", "The Coronation with Queen Elizabeth" and Judi Dench's "Wild Borneo Adventure".
Series director David Lee said the history of this part of the world is generally unknown, particularly in the west, so this is new territory for documentary film making.
Three virtual reality experiences have also been produced to allow viewers to absorb the information in a different way. One in particular focuses on the work of pearl divers after the oldest sea pearl yet discovered was found during the making of the series.
Those behind the project say they are doing their part to not only educate the rest of world about the UAE, but also the people of the region.
An outreach project is also set to run alongside the series in the UAE, with VR headsets being sent out in buses to schools and communities so that people can learn about their history in 360 degrees.
(Production: Will Russell, Sarah Duffy) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None