Director: Florian Höllerl, 2025

The Shroud of Turin: A Mystery

Opinions are divided on the Shroud of Turin. For some, it is the burial cloth of Jesus of Nazareth, for others, a medieval forgery. “The shroud is like a black hole. If you get too close to it, you get sucked in and can’t get away,” says chemist Luigi Garlaschelli: “Because there are so many unanswered questions. One lifetime is not enough.” The scientist says this even though he has concluded through experiments and self-experiments that the Shroud of Turin is an ingenious forgery. But even he is not entirely sure.

“One lifetime is not enough” – this also applies to private researcher Joe Marino from Ohio. A paperback about the Shroud of Turin led him to faith many years ago. He studied theology and entered a monastery. “I feel called to study the shroud and spread the word about it,” says Joe Marino, who has now written several books and over a hundred articles on the subject – convinced “that it is the authentic shroud of Jesus.”

The documentary about the Shroud of Turin is designed as a criminal investigation, from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to the underground passages of Istanbul, where, according to legend, the shroud was hidden for a long time. It was first exhibited in Lirey, France, in 1354 AD, as historically attested. And for a good 300 years, it has been kept in Turin – in a specially built chapel – revered by some, viewed critically by others.

Written and directed by
Florian Höllerl

Camera
Alexander Hein

Editing
Alexandra Wedenig

Set design
Marie Hartung

Animation
Lily Ammann

VFX
Nicola Stampfer

Sound
Elisabet Armand
Colin Prum
Uri Raz
Sebastian Richter
Murat Senurkmez

Lighting
Dirk Walter
Adele Kossack

Camera USA
Joel Stängle

Color Grading / Mastering
Nicola Stampfer

Sound Design / Mixing
Emanoel Bruckmüller

Voice-over Artists
Lukas Wurm
Magdalena Bönisch
Katrin Daliot
Peter Faerber
Michael Menzel
Kai Peterson

Translations
Dylan Whiting
Maja Wieser-Benedetti
Dorit Muzicant
Pia Schädel

Post-production Coordination
Philipp Sklorz

Archive Research
Fynn Siemoneit

Archives and Institutions
Archivio die Stato di Torino
Getty Images / BBC
INA
Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Ministère de la Culture – Archives Nationales
Benrath Palace
STERA, INC.
Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V.

Stringers
Güldenay Sonumut, Turkey
Manes Avny, Israel

Production Management
Andrea Minauf
Fynn Siemoneit

Film Management
Judith Machat
Andrea Haas-Blenske

Producer
Christina Baacke

Producers
Michael Cencig
Volker Schmidt-Sondermann

Production Management Broadcaster
Gabriele Wistawel (ORF)
Carmen Carl (ORF)

Editorial Department
Barbara Krenn, ORF
Helmut Tatzreiter, ORF
Sonja Scheider, BR / ARTE
Laurent Filliung, ARTE

Thanks to
Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V.

A co-production of
Metafilm Vienna, Tellux-Film Dresden, ORF, and BR

In cooperation with
ARTE and ORF-Enterprise