The Oscar-nominated filmmaker reflects on the deadly 2019 volcanic eruption in New Zealand in this documentary produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rory Kennedy turns the camera on the devastating December 2019 volcanic eruption off the coast of New Zealand for Netflix’s latest documentary, “The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari.”
Kennedy is directing and producing the film, which screened at AFI and DOC NYC ahead of the third anniversary of the tragic natural disaster that left 22 dead. Kennedy follows the eruption minute by minute. The official synopsis reads: During a day trip to a remote volcanic island, 47 tourists and guides were trapped in the epicenter of a boiling pyroclastic surge of toxic dust and ash. Both terrifying and inspiring, the film uses first-hand accounts to convey the experience of living through such a deadly eruption.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Ron Howard are both executive producers, alongside Brian Grazer, Jennifer Davisson and Phillip Watson. Mark Bailey, Dallas Brennan Rexer, Sara Bernstein and Justin Wilkes are also producing.
Cinematographers Dominic Fryer, Mike Jonathan, Mark Lapwood and Murray Milne acted as cinematographers on the feature-length documentary which features survivors of the 2019 Whakaari eruption. Jawad Metni edited the documentary during nine months.
“From the start, ‘The Volcano’ struck me mostly as an event: a harrowing and deadly event, an eruption that happened at a specific time on a specific day and sparked a specific narrative,” said director Kennedy at Filmmaker Magazine. “So from the outset, my impulse was to try to render this event with the belief that the characters involved would emerge and define themselves through their relationship with him, through their choices and actions in the face of this eruption. Likewise, I hoped that whatever meaning one can extract from that day would also result from absorbing what had happened and spending time with those involved.
Kennedy added, “Given the proliferation of cell phones and video cameras, as well as the fact that this was very much a tourist activity, I thought there had to be some footage that would keep me going. close to the ground, minute by minute, and that by structuring the film in this way, the sum total of these minutes would represent something greater.
“The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari” premieres on Netflix on December 16.
Check out the trailer below.
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The Oscar-nominated filmmaker reflects on the deadly 2019 volcanic eruption in New Zealand in this documentary produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rory Kennedy turns the camera on the devastating December 2019 volcanic eruption off the coast of New Zealand for Netflix’s latest documentary, “The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari.”
Kennedy is directing and producing the film, which screened at AFI and DOC NYC ahead of the third anniversary of the tragic natural disaster that left 22 dead. Kennedy follows the eruption minute by minute. The official synopsis reads: During a day trip to a remote volcanic island, 47 tourists and guides were trapped in the epicenter of a boiling pyroclastic surge of toxic dust and ash. Both terrifying and inspiring, the film uses first-hand accounts to convey the experience of living through such a deadly eruption.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Ron Howard are both executive producers, alongside Brian Grazer, Jennifer Davisson and Phillip Watson. Mark Bailey, Dallas Brennan Rexer, Sara Bernstein and Justin Wilkes are also producing.
Cinematographers Dominic Fryer, Mike Jonathan, Mark Lapwood and Murray Milne acted as cinematographers on the feature-length documentary which features survivors of the 2019 Whakaari eruption. Jawad Metni edited the documentary during nine months.
“From the start, ‘The Volcano’ struck me mostly as an event: a harrowing and deadly event, an eruption that happened at a specific time on a specific day and sparked a specific narrative,” said director Kennedy at Filmmaker Magazine. “So from the outset, my impulse was to try to render this event with the belief that the characters involved would emerge and define themselves through their relationship with him, through their choices and actions in the face of this eruption. Likewise, I hoped that whatever meaning one can extract from that day would also result from absorbing what had happened and spending time with those involved.
Kennedy added, “Given the proliferation of cell phones and video cameras, as well as the fact that this was very much a tourist activity, I thought there had to be some footage that would keep me going. close to the ground, minute by minute, and that by structuring the film in this way, the sum total of these minutes would represent something greater.
“The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari” premieres on Netflix on December 16.
Check out the trailer below.
Register: Stay up to date with the latest film and TV news! Sign up for our email newsletters here.