Filming Prehistory: Getting it Right
Guest
Maarten Peels (NL)
Summary
Films set in prehistory are few and far between and often by no means based on scientific insights. In this episode of the EXARC Show our new host Noah Melton talks with filmmaker Maarten Peels about what he deems essential for a truthful depiction of life in the upper Paleolithic. In Maarten's short film De Poten van de Bison (The Bison’s Legs), released in 2024, he introduces his characters as human beings interested in music and art rather than hunting and violence. Maarten recounts the many aspects that informed the process of making this film. He also lifts the veil on a new movie he is working on which, again, aims to portray the connection between people and nature during the prehistoric era in a more profound way.
Guest info
Maarten is a philosopher and a filmmaker from Utrecht in the Netherlands. He recently directed a film set in prehistoric Europe, inspired by the Chauvet Cave and the Hohle Fels flute. At the core of his filmmaking is a desire to paint a nuanced and accurate picture of life in the past. Maarten’s full EXARC profile.