Watch “Frogs”, world’s first film in Ancient Greek!

Athens, 405 B.C. The city finds itself devoid of talented poets. Consequently, the god Dionysus, accompanied by his slave Xanthias, embarks on a journey to the Underworld to retrieve the renowned tragedian Euripides and to save the city of Athens. Meanwhile, Heracles, Dionysus’ brother, receives a visit from King Admetus, who is mourning the recent loss of his wife Alcestis.

Frogs is the world’s first (feature-length) film entirely spoken in Ancient Greek. Apart from some self-written passages, the tragicomedy is directly based on the following original works of Ancient Greek literature:

• The Frogs (405 B.C.) by Aristophanes
• Alcestis (438 B.C.) by Euripides
• Symposium (380 B.C.) by Plato
• Battle of the Frogs and Mice (3rd century B.C.)

The cast and crew of Iuvenalis Pictures, a non-professional production company, consist of artists who specialize in classical languages and hold a deep passion for the ancient culture and the art of filmmaking. Among the creators is Dr. Laurens van der Viel of the UW Faculty of History, who plays the role of Dionysus. 

Watch the film here!