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Following the success of Free Solo, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature earlier this month, National Geographic Documentary Films announces the greenlight of its next feature project. The upcoming film, which will document the dramatic 2018 rescue of a Thai soccer team trapped deep inside a flooding cave, is from Academy Award-winning director Kevin MacDonald (\u201cOne Day in September\u201d), Emmy-winning producer John Battsek (\u201cManhunt: The Story of Bin Laden,\u201d \u201cOne Day in September\u201d), producer P.J. van Sandwijk (\u201cAmerican Dharma\u201d) and executive producer Michael Lesslie (\u201cLittle Drummer Girl\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On a cool June afternoon in the hilly region of northern Thailand, the Wild Boars youth soccer team was finishing practice early so that they could attend a teammate\u2019s birthday party. Before heading to the party, the 12 boys and their assistant coach decided to explore a nearby system of caves \u2014 an outing that transformed into a two-week-long saga of survival and a story that would capture the attention of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thai Cave Rescue<\/strong> (working title) will chronicle the perilous world of cave diving, the bravery of the rescuers and the dedication of an entire community that made great sacrifices to save these young boys. \u201cThis rescue mission is more than just a story of hope, it\u2019s a story of humanity coming together,\u201d said MacDonald. \u201cThis film will represent a full 360\u00b0 view of the crisis, told through unexpected angles and with untold stories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Featuring exclusive access to British cave divers Richard Stanton, John Volanthen, who were included in National Gegraphic\u2019s 2019 list of Adventurers of the Year, along with Chris Jewell, Jason Mallinson, Connor Roe, Josh Bratchley and Jim Warny, along with in-depth interviews with Australian divers Dr. Richard Harris and Craig Challen, the film will bring to light the imagination and determination displayed during the heroic endeavour. Unlike most diving experiences, in which one relies on a team, once these divers were in the water they were on their own \u2014 completely dependent on their gear, always knowing that if it failed, that would be the end. There was no turning back \u2014 life or death was literally a breath of air away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe inherent drama of this rescue captured the attention of the world like few recent events have,\u201d explained Battsek. \u201cAs producers, for P.J. and I to now have the opportunity to tell this remarkable story in partnership with the team at National Geographic Documentary Films, who have been responsible for some of the most successful and impactful feature documentaries of recent times, is extremely exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n All the divers have agreed on one thing: none of this would have been a success if it were not for the Thai people. Many sacrifices were made \u2014 engineers helped pump millions of gallons of water out, Thai famers lost their crops and hundreds of volunteers worked day and night to help in any way they could. Similarly, Thai officials, the strong backbone of the entire operation who everyone greatly respected and trusted, was essential to its success. Through interviews with a diverse array of local citizens, the film will tell how the Thai people never lost hope, instead driving on until they reached a successful outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The film originated with Storyteller Productions\u00ae and its producers P.J. van Sandwijk and Michael Lesslie, who approached Kevin MacDonald after the news of the successful outcome of the rescue mission and subsequently secured the rights of the British divers. This film marks the second production in a long-term strategic partnership between Storyteller Productions and Passion Pictures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have long admired Kevin MacDonald\u2019s artistic vision and virtuosity when it comes to authentic storytelling,\u201d said Carolyn Bernstein, EVP of Scripted Content and Documentary Films for National Geographic. \u201cI am elated to be working with him, John Battsek and P.J. van Sandwijk to help audiences better understand the complexities of this captivating story.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Thai cave rescue had South Africans riveted, and glued to the media for updates. I am sure the film will capture their attention in the same way. After the success of Jane, and Free Solo in our market, we look forward to another exceptional production from National Geographic Documentary Films\u201d said Evert Van Der Veer, General Manager, and Vice President Fox Networks Group: Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n National Geographic Documentary Films has achieved remarkable success in a very short amount of time. Most recently the critically acclaimed film, FREE SOLO won both the Academy Award and BAFTA for best documentary feature, in addition to Director’s Guild of America, Cinema Audio Society, Motion Picture Sound Editors, US Critics\u2019 Choice and Cinema Eye wins. Last year, two films released under the documentary films\u2019 banner, Jane and LA 92, made the Oscar short list for Best Documentary, and both won Emmys \u2014 LA 92 for Special Merit and Jane for Best Director and Best Cinematography. Additionally, in its premiere weekend, National Geographic\u2019s 2018 Sundance and SXSW Audience Favourite Science Fair became the No. 1 new documentary film at the US box office for New York openings the weekend of Sept. 14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n National Geographic Documentary Films is committed to bringing the world premium, feature documentaries that cover timely, provocative and globally relevant stories from the very best documentary filmmakers in the world. National Geographic Documentary Films is a division of National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between National Geographic and 21st Century Fox. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 131 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers \u2026 and reaching over 730 million people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Passion Pictures\u2019 first feature documentary, \u201cOne Day in September,\u201d was conceived and produced by John Battsek and went on to win an Academy Award in 1999. Passion has since been at the forefront of feature documentary production, as evidenced by a prolific run of multiaward-winning films, a reputation for securing international theatrical releases and \u2014 as of 2019 \u2014 an unprecedented 14 consecutive years premiering films at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. Notable titles include \u201cRestrepo,\u201d \u201cThe Tillman Story,\u201d \u201cThe Imposter,\u201d \u201cSergio,\u201d \u201cSearching for Sugar Man,\u201d \u201cWinter on Fire,\u201d \u201cListen to Me Marlon\u201d and \u201cEric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars\u201d \u2014 these films and others have seen Passion collaborate with some of the most exciting filmmakers, writers, journalists, editors, composers, cinematographers and production partners working in the industry today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Founded by Michael Lesslie and P.J. van Sandwijk, Storyteller Productions\u00ae focuses on high-end television and film projects with wide diversity and global appeal. What sets Storyteller Productions apart is its global reach and its ability to fully finance its development in-house. The company has accumulated an extraordinary slate and developed unique relationships with some of the most sought-after filmmakers in the industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Untitled Film Promises Exclusive Access and Never-Before-Seen Footage from the Dramatic 2018 Rescue of a Thai Soccer Team Following the success of Free Solo, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature earlier this month, National Geographic Documentary Films announces the greenlight of its next feature project. The upcoming film, which will document the… Continue reading Thai Cave Rescue – Film Announced By National Geographic<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-film","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8194\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}About National Geographic Documentary Films<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
About Passion Pictures<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
About Storyteller Productions\u00ae<\/h5>\n\n\n\n