Egypt's Last Secret (2011)

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Egypt's Last Secret (2011)

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Directed by Kenny Scott, the BAFTA award-winning documentary Mummifying Alan: Egypt's Last Secret explores a mystery that has baffled scientists for centuries: how were the Ancient Egyptians able to perfectly preserve their pharaohs for millennia? The filmmakers follow a team of pioneering scientists as they attempt to solve this 3000-year-old enigma by mummifying a body donated specifically for this purpose. The corpse is that of 61-year-old Alan Billis, a former taxi driver from Torquay in the United Kingdom, who died in January 2011 after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Filmed inside one of the UK's leading forensic pathology labs, the scientists work to unlock the preservation techniques used during the 'Golden Age' of King Tutankhamen. The 18th Dynasty was a time of huge cultural and political revolution in Egypt, but it also marked the pinnacle of the country's embalming techniques. Using a secret and complex blend of ingredients and processes, priests managed to stop decomposition of the body almost entirely But what were the mysterious and complex recipes they were using? Did they really understand the science behind them? And, if so, could this represent the greatest scientific achievement of Ancient Egypt? A film that pushes the boundaries of documentary filmmaking, Mummifying Alan: Egypt's Last Secret received a 2012 BAFTA Award in the Best Specialist Factual category.

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Egypt's Last Secret (2011)

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Egypt's Last Secret (2011)

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