National Geographic Documentary Films Sets Commercial-Free Broadcast Date for Ron Howard’s Rebuilding Paradise: Sunday, Nov. 8 at 9/8c, the Second Anniversary of the Camp Fire in Paradise, California
To Mark National Fire Prevention Month, a Portion of All Rentals and Sales of the Film in October Will Benefit Wildfire Recovery Efforts
Impact Campaign to Also Include Broad Educational Initiative With Screenings for Educators and Students, Safety Tips and Discussion Guides, and PSAs
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WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–National Geographic Documentary Films announced today the commercial-free broadcast premiere of Rebuilding Paradise, from director Ron Howard and Imagine Documentaries on National Geographic, Sunday, Nov. 8 at 9/8c, the second anniversary of the Camp Fire in Paradise, California. Additionally, the banner has committed a portion of all sales and rentals of the documentary during the month of October, Fire Prevention Month, to wildfire recovery efforts in Paradise and the surrounding areas.
In honor of the release of Rebuilding Paradise and in support of those who continue to be affected by the current wildfires across the west coast, National Geographic Documentary Films will donate one dollar of each sale or rental of the film from Oct. 1-31, National Fire Prevention Month, to California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund in support of the Butte Strong Fund (up to $50,000)**.
The documentary is currently available via the Apple TV app, Amazon Prime Video, GooglePlay, Vudu, Comcast and other digital platforms. National Geographic donated an additional $25,000 to the same organization to mark the theatrical release in July, providing direct support to the citizens of Paradise and the surrounding areas through Butte County’s long-term wildfire recovery initiatives. Butte Strong Fund is focused on long-term rebuilding and funds projects and organizations within five focus areas: housing, health and wellness, education, community development and business recovery.
Rebuilding Paradise, which has been hailed by critics as, having “a special timeliness that resonates with the moment,” first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, had a virtual premiere on July 12 attended by more than 6,000 people, followed by a very successful virtual and physical theater release which launched July 31 and has since played in over 125 markets. The film screened on opening night of the IFI Documentary Film Festival in Ireland on Sept. 21 before debuting in theaters around the U.K. on Sept. 25. Britain’s Mail on Sunday proclaimed, “Ron Howard’s meticulously assembled documentary couldn’t be more topical or more powerful”.
In conjunction with Fire Prevention Month, National Geographic Documentary Films is also launching an educational campaign which will provide Rebuilding Paradise to educators and classrooms through a virtual screening event on Oct. 6. The program will address current wildfires that are threatening the safety and livelihood of many of the same communities featured in the film, while honoring first responders. Educators will be armed with resources for fire prevention and preparedness programs for the home and beyond, including preparedness kits, discussion and activity guides and tips from key experts. Additional screenings will be available upon educator requests. For more information about the power and science behind wildfires visit National Geographic’s Resource Library.
“We at Imagine Documentaries are thankful to our partners at National Geographic Documentary films for the continued effort to share this very important and timely film with a wider audience,” said director Ron Howard. “There is no doubt that climate change is a contributing factor to the historic fires burning even now on the west coast, devastating entire communities. This should be a wake-up call – Paradise could be any of us.”
“We are proud to continue to share the timely and urgent story of Paradise with viewers around the world,” said Carolyn Bernstein, executive vice president, Global Scripted Content and Documentary Films at National Geographic. “We hope this film and our impact efforts can bring much-needed attention and aid to the resilient community of Paradise and surrounding areas as they rebuild, especially now, in the face of additional threats from wildfire disasters.”
On the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, a devastating firestorm engulfed the picturesque city of Paradise, California. By the time the Camp Fire was extinguished, it had killed 85 people, displaced 50,000 residents and destroyed 95% of local structures. It was the deadliest U.S. fire in 100 years — and the worst ever in California’s history. Rebuilding Paradise, from director RON HOWARD, is a moving story of resilience in the face of tragedy as a community ravaged by disaster comes together to recover what was lost and begins the important task of reimagining and reembracing their future.
Directed by Ron Howard, “Rebuilding Paradise” was produced by Brian Grazer, Howard, Xan Parker, Sara Bernstein and Justin Wilkes; executive produced by Michael Rosenberg, Louisa Velis, Carolyn Bernstein and Ryan Harrington; co-produced by Lizz Morhaim, with cinematography by Lincoln Else; edited by M. Watanabe Milmore; and music by Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe. For additional information, visit www.RebuildingParadise.film.
National Geographic Documentary Films previously released the Academy Award®-, BAFTA- and seven-time Emmy® Award-winning film “Free Solo”; the Sundance Audience Award winner “Science Fair”; Emmy winners “LA 92” and “Jane,” both of which were included in the top 15 documentaries considered for an Academy Award in 2017; and duPont Award winner “Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS.” The banner’s latest film, “The Cave,” from director Feras Fayyad, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2020.
**Excludes Hawaii, Massachusetts, Mississippi and South Carolina.
About National Geographic Documentary Films
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 Disney and the National Geographic Society. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 132 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27% 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.
About Imagine Documentaries
Imagine Documentaries was formed in 2018 by Imagine Entertainment Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard with a focus on developing and producing premium feature documentaries and non-scripted television. Based out of New York, Imagine Docs is run by Academy Award-nominated and multiple Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producers Justin Wilkes and Sara Bernstein. The division expands on Imagine’s rich history in the documentary space, which includes the hit documentary series Mars and Breakthrough (NatGeo) as well as the Ron Howard-directed films Jay-Z’s Made in America, The Beatles: Eight Days a Week — The Touring Years (2017 Grammy winner for Best Music Film) and Pavarotti. Recently released films include Dads (Apple TV+), Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band (Magnolia Pictures) and D Wade: Life Unexpected (ESPN Films). Upcoming projects include a feature documentary on José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen NGO (National Geographic Documentary Films); Timothy Leary: Follow Me to Freedom; On Pointe (Disney+); Supervillain: the Rise and Fall of Tekashi 6ix9ine (Showtime); Gossip With Cindy Adams (Showtime); a definitive documentary on Julia Child (CNN films); a Martin Scorsese-directed documentary on New York’s 1970’s music scene; a feature documentary on musician Louis Armstrong; and the Rory Kennedy docu-project investigating the Boeing 737-Max airplane crashes. www.imagine-entertainment.com
Contacts
Media Contacts:
Tiffany Malloy, 201-925-1122, malloy@tiffical.com
Falco Ink, rebuildingparadise@falcoink.com