Arte - Book Hunters Saving the Worlds Cultural Legacy (2017)

– Original Title “Bucherjager – Kampf um das Wissen der Welt / Manuscripts en peril” –

They are the unsung heroes of history – the book hunters. Without them, our knowl?edge of the ancient world or the Middle Ages would have been lost. They collect and copy books in a race against time. And they also take a stand against barbarism, risk?ing their own lives in the process. From ancient times to the present day, so-called book hunters have made it their mission to save, restore and preserve manuscripts, books and historical documents that are threatened by natural disasters, war or censorship. They are historians, scientists, monks, librarians and civilians who often put their lives at risk to protect our cultural heritage – books and manuscripts – against destruction in turbulent times, and preserve them for the future. The American Benedictine monk Columba Stewart has been travelling to war-torn regions of the world in search of ancient manuscripts for over 30 years. In Iraq, he supports the Dominican monk Najeeb Michael who has twice saved his library under dramatic circumstances from the clutches of radical Islamists. In the 1990s, Mustafa Jahic, guardian of Sarajevo's last collection of manuscripts, saved 20,000 medieval documents by smuggling them eight times in banana crates across the besieged city, each time at the risk of his own life. From ancient times to the modern age, from Europe to the Middle East, we introduce courageous individuals, past and present, who have dedicated themselves to saving our cultural heritage for future generations. They are the secret heroes of history.

A Film by Susanne Brahms; Kinescope Film for Radio Bremen/ARTE with the support of Nordmedia Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/Bremen mbH

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