The Four-Part Series Provides a 360 Look at the Tsunami’s Path of Destruction Through Harrowing First-Person Testimony Heard for the First Time and Never-Before-Seen Footage…
Marking 20 years since one of the deadliest natural disasters in history, National Geographic will premiere Tsunami: Race Against Time a four-part documentary series providing a 360-degree view into the heart-stopping events of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that took over 225,000 lives.
Tom McDonald, EVP of Global Factual and Unscripted, National Geographic:
“Tsunami: Race Against Time is a visceral, sensitive and gripping retelling of the terrible events of the Boxing Day tsunami. I’m immensely proud of the lengths the production team went to find never-before-seen archives, interview people who have never spoken before, and the great care with which they tell their stories,”
From executive producers Tanya Winston and Danny Horan of Blast Films and directed by Daniel Bogado filmmaker of Nat Geo’s 9/11: One Day In America, this latest series weaves newly discovered footage with never-before-heard personal accounts from survivors, scientists, journalists and fearless rescuers who were all witnesses to the tragic event.
Three years in the making, producers unearthed approximately 300 hours of archival footage, including many never-before-seen moments, from around the world and conducted interviews with over 100 individuals, some speaking on the record for the first time about their experience. As a result of this massive effort by the filmmaking team, Tsunami: Race Against Time tells a definitive story of the devastating events of 26th December 2004.
The series not only offers a comprehensive exploration of the tsunami’s impact as it surged, leaving a deadly trail throughout 14 countries, but also shines a light on the remarkable acts of bravery and sacrifice throughout the disaster. It weaves together compelling stories of survival and heroism, featuring scientists who raced against time to understand and warn the world, journalists who uncovered the shocking reality, fearless rescuers who risked their lives to save others, and survivors who faced the unimaginable.
In addition to expertly connecting archival footage with first-person testimony, Tsunami: Race Against Time used billions of raw data points provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to create a high-resolution, moving simulation seen throughout each episode. They also worked in careful collaboration with scientists, local experts and survivors to establish timings for the arrival and spread of successive tsunami waves on the day across multiple affected coastlines.
Tom McDonald, EVP of Global Factual and Unscripted, National Geographic:
“National Geographic is the storyteller of record for historic events of global significance, and following our award-winning series on 9/11 and the assassination of JFK, this series cements our commitment to telling these stories in new and surprising ways.”
Tsunami: Race Against Time Premieres 25th November at 9pm on National Geographic. All Episodes Will Stream 25th November on Disney+
