National Geographic has released the official trailer for Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard’s upcoming documentary Rebuilding Paradise from Imagine Documentaries. The documentary will be released in select theaters (physical and digital) on July 31, 2020. For every ticket sold, $1 will go to charities supporting the town of Paradise, California. You can check out the trailer now in the player below!
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“Now more than ever, we need to remember that when people come together for the greater good we can make a positive change on our shared future. The passion and commitment of the people of Paradise, to one another and to rebuilding their community, is a reminder of the strength and resilience of the human spirit,” stated Howard.
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.
As residents faced the damage to their lives, to their homes and to more than 150,000 acres in and around their 141-year-old town, they did something amazing: They worked together to heal. The community members went on to forge a bond stronger than what they had before the catastrophe, even as their hope and spirit were challenged by continued adversity: relocations, financial crises, government hurdles, water poisoning, grief, and PTSD.
From the moment the crisis began, Howard led a filmmaking team to the city and would go on to spend a year with Paradise residents, documenting their efforts to recover what was lost. The Camp Fire and its overwhelming aftermath became a de facto lesson in what we all must do: Protect our environment, help our neighbors, plan for future dangers and remember to preserve the traditions that unite us — just as these resilient citizens did when they began the important task of Rebuilding Paradise.
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The film is being released through the leading distributor of documentary films, Abramorama.
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; music by Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe.
