Deadline reports that the new WWI documentary directed by Peter Jackson (the Lord of the Rings trilogy) will premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 16th. The project, which was previously announced in January, will commemorate its release with both 2D and 3D screenings will be held simultaneously.
The documentary, titled They Shall Not Grow Old, combines original footage from Imperial War Museums’ film archive along with audio provided by the BBC archives. The video footage has been both colorized and converted into 3D, and the voices of actual veterans combined with archival footage to bring the reality of WWI front-and-center like never before.
“I wanted to reach through the fog of time and pull these men into the modern world, so they can regain their humanity once more — rather than be seen only as Charlie Chaplin-type figures in the vintage archive film. By using our computing power to erase the technical limitations of 100 year cinema, we can see and hear the Great War as they experienced it,” Jackson said.
The director will also be participating in a Q&A after the screening. Fans can submit their questions to the filmmaking via Twitter.
They Shall Not Grow Old is produced by Jackson with Clare Olssen. It was edited by Jabez Olssen (The Hobbit trilogy). Jackson’s WingNut Films produces with House Productions executive producing. The film is commissioned by 14-18 NOW and Imperial War Museums in association with the BBC and Executive Produced by House Productions.
Jackson is a bonafide WWI aficionado, having previously curated a Great War museum exhibition in New Zealand, as well as directing the 2008 short narrative film Crossing the Line about two young soldiers preparing for battle in WWI.
You can see Jackson talking about the making of the film in the video below.
