On Screen · 1st century BC to AD 79 · Oplontis (Torre Annunziata), Campania, Italy
Two-part documentary on luxury Roman Villa Oplontis near Pompeii joins Autentic's 2026 slate
Ancient Pompeii - The Secrets of Villa Oplontis, made by Go Button Media and Autentic, is part of the Munich distributor's summer 2026 factual line-up.
Official announcement
Oplontis (Torre Annunziata), Italy German distributor Autentic is offering a two-part documentary about Villa Oplontis, a Roman luxury villa near Pompeii, in its summer 2026 slate. The film is called Ancient Pompeii - The Secrets of Villa Oplontis. Go Button Media and Autentic made it together.
The announcement describes the villa as one of the Roman Empire's most luxurious. It says the film sets out to uncover the house. Go Button Media published the slate news on its own website.
Autentic is based in Munich. Its summer 2026 slate covers current affairs, history, wildlife, travel and science. The Oplontis film is the history title named in the announcement.
The slate also includes Milestones of the Solar System. This is a six-part science and technology series from Go Button Media for Autentic. It was first announced at the London TV Screenings in February.
The announcement leaves several things open. It names no broadcaster, no release date and no running time. It also names no archaeologists or historians who took part in the film.
What is known about the villa
Oplontis is the ancient name for the area of modern Torre Annunziata. It lies on the Bay of Naples, a few kilometres west of Pompeii. The eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79 buried it, together with Pompeii and Herculaneum.
The largest house there is known as Villa A, or the Villa of Poppaea. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared with Pompeii and Herculaneum, listed in 1997. The villa is known for its wall paintings and a large outdoor swimming pool.
The oldest paintings are in the so-called Second Style. This Roman fashion painted walls with imagined architecture and views. These paintings date the first phase of the house to around the middle of the 1st century BC.
The link to Poppaea Sabina, the second wife of the emperor Nero, is an interpretation. It rests on an inscription found at the site, not on direct proof of ownership. The villa seems to have been empty of residents in AD 79, perhaps because it was under repair.
Not yet possible to check the film
The announcement gives no detail of the claims the film makes about the villa. So its account cannot yet be set against the finds, paintings and inscriptions from the site.
The announcement quotes no archaeologists or historians on the production. It also does not say whether the film draws on recent excavation or research at Oplontis.
Sources
- Autentic reveals summer slate (Go Button Media)
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