New Trailer for Chilling HBO Doc Film ‘Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes’
by Alex Billington
June 3, 2022
Source: YouTube
“Nobody was warned by anybody, schools and kindergartens were open.” HBO has revealed the official trailer for a chilling new documentary called Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes, from talented doc filmmaker James Jones (On The President’s Orders, Mosul). This premiered at the Full Frame Doc Festival and will be streaming on HBO Max this month. This powerful and at times graphic film tells the story of the disaster and its far-reaching ripple effects entirely through extraordinary, immersive footage – all shot on-site in the hours, days, weeks, months following the accident. Deeply personal witness testimony helps contextualize the tragedy by providing an overview of life in Chernobyl before the meltdown and its harrowing aftermath. Government propaganda films also illustrate the Soviet Union’s pride in its nuclear program and the many delayed and misleading reports. Everyone knows the story, and there was that great HBO series in 2019, but most of this real footage has never been seen before until now. It’s all so frightening & chilling. Take a look.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for HBO’s doc Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes, direct from YouTube:
Thirty-six years after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor No. 4 exploded in Soviet Ukraine, newly uncovered archival footage & recorded interviews with those who were present paint an emotional and gripping portrait of the extent and gravity of the disaster and the lengths to which the Soviet government went to cover up the incident, including the soldiers sent in to “liquidate” the damage. Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes is the full, unvarnished true story of what happened in one of the least understood tragedies of the 20th century. Russian-speaking British director James Jones uncovered a wealth of never-before-seen footage from a range of sources, which reveal the chilling consequences of the explosion. As soldiers, pilots and miners were called in to help contain the radiation at huge personal risk, the Soviet government continued to deny & distort the enormity of the situation. Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes is directed by British filmmaker James Jones, director of the doc films On The President’s Orders, The Riots, and Mosul previously, plus other “Frontline” doc work. This premiered at the 2022 Full Frame Doc Film Festival earlier this year. HBO will debut Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes streaming on HBO Max starting June 22nd, 2022 later this month.
