EXPEDITION LEADS
Dr. GEORGE LEADER
Dr. Dominic Stratford
PARTNERS
EXPLORERS CLUB NY
GOBABEB RESEARCH
SPECIAL THANKS
NAMIBIA SCIENCE SOCIETY
SUPPORT TEAM
DR. TED MARKS
DR. EUGENE MARAIS
With only two months between receiving the invite and setting foot in the Namib Desert, we joined archaeologists Dom and George on a foot crossing of the world’s oldest dunes. The goal was to document their search for early human presence in a landscape inaccessible by vehicle and only readable on foot. The challenge was filming with limited gear, no power, and often too little energy to capture the most human moments, those at camp between discovery and exhaustion. The result is an intimate, wind swept portrait of science, silence and endurance.
CREDITS
DIRECTORS
ESTELLE GENEUX
RAMY OZARA
SCRIPT WRITING
ESTELLE GENEUX
FILM EDITING
RAMY OZARA
EXPEDITION LEADS
Dr. GEORGE LEADER
Dr. Dominic Stratford
PARTNERS
EXPLORERS CLUB NY
GOBABEB RESEARCH
SPECIAL THANKS
NAMIBIA SCIENCE SOCIETY
SUPPORT TEAM
DR. TED MARKS
DR. EUGENE MARAIS
With only two months between receiving the invite and setting foot in the Namib Desert, we joined archaeologists Dom and George on a foot crossing of the world’s oldest dunes. The goal was to document their search for early human presence in a landscape inaccessible by vehicle and only readable on foot. The challenge was filming with limited gear, no power, and often too little energy to capture the most human moments, those at camp between discovery and exhaustion. The result is an intimate, wind swept portrait of science, silence and endurance.
CREDITS
DIRECTORS
ESTELLE GENEUX
RAMY OZARA
SCRIPT WRITING
ESTELLE GENEUX
FILM EDITING
RAMY OZARA
EXPEDITION LEADS
Dr. GEORGE LEADER
Dr. Dominic Stratford
PARTNERS
EXPLORERS CLUB NY
GOBABEB RESEARCH
SPECIAL THANKS
NAMIBIA SCIENCE SOCIETY
SUPPORT TEAM
DR. TED MARKS
DR. EUGENE MARAIS
With only two months between receiving the invite and setting foot in the Namib Desert, we joined archaeologists Dom and George on a foot crossing of the world’s oldest dunes. The goal was to document their search for early human presence in a landscape inaccessible by vehicle and only readable on foot. The challenge was filming with limited gear, no power, and often too little energy to capture the most human moments, those at camp between discovery and exhaustion. The result is an intimate, wind swept portrait of science, silence and endurance.
THE EXPLORERS CLUB OF NEW YORK
This was an official Flag Expedition of The Explorers Club of New York City, an institution that has championed scientific exploration for over a century. Past expeditions have included the Apollo Moon landing with Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, deep-sea dives by James Cameron, primatology breakthroughs led by Jane Goodall, and pioneering flights by Bertrand Piccard.
IMPACT
Fifty-five previously undocumented archaeological sites were discovered in a remote and unexplored region of the Namib Desert, one of the most arid environments on Earth. Alongside these finds, OSL dating samples were collected to help establish a timeline. Together, these discoveries will lay the groundwork for new hypotheses and future field research on when and how early humans navigated and inhabited this harsh landscape, deepening our understanding of our ancestors.
We knew this expedition was going to be challenging. Given the unique journey, we wanted to find a way to share both the adventure and the science with a global audience. Ramy and Estelle were the perfect fit for our goals. They were able to withstand the grueling pressures of the expedition while capturing the entirety of the journey, the story, and the science with stunning visuals. We are so fortunate to have found each other and look forward to future expeditions.
Professor George Leader is an archaeologist with over 20 years of experience studying early hominin behavior in southern Africa. He currently leads a project in Namibia’s Namib Desert, exploring human occupations in arid landscapes over a million years ago. In the U.S., his work focuses on 18th–19th century historical sites in New Jersey, examining cultural traditions and change.
Professor Stratford is a geoarchaeologist with over 20 years of experience in Southern Africa, particularly at the Sterkfontein Caves—famous for their hominin fossils and early tools. As former Director of Research there, he leads multidisciplinary studies combining geology and archaeology to better understand early human behavior and its environmental context.
DR. TED MARKS
Dr. Ted Marks is a Paleolithic archaeologist with over 15 years of fieldwork in Namibia. He co-directed excavations at Mirabib and Erb Tanks Rockshelters, where remarkably preserved materials offer insights into ancient hunter-gatherer life. His research spans lithic technology, geoarchaeology, human evolution, and paleoanthropology.
