Leonardo DiCaprio has co-produced a documentary on the horrific massacre that occurred in Jonestown forty years ago. A trailer for the four-part doc series was recently unveiled.
The Jonestown massacre was one of America’s biggest tragedies and a horrific event in recent American history.
Fanatical cult leader Jim Jones convinced more than 900 of his followers to drink cyanide-laced Kool-Aid.
It has been told numerous times through documentaries and movies, but this new series aims to be the most in-depth account of what transpired.
The documentary, which is called ‘Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle’, will shine a light on Jones and his followers.
It charts the rise of the cult leader and The Peoples Temple cult, eventually showing how they came to be responsible for killing more than 900 people. It paints a picture of Jones’ transformation from charismatic preacher and champion of civil rights into egomaniacal demagogue who led the biggest mass suicide in American history.
Survivors of Jonestown – the name of the cult’s settlement in Guyana – labelled it “mass murder”. At the time, there was substantial news coverage of the incident, with some publications branding the event “mass suicide”.
The documentary is based on the work of investigative journalist Jeff Guinn, who also acts a producer and whose best-selling book provides the basis for the doc.
It features archival footage (including secret FBI and CIA recordings, unreleased photographs and previously classified documents), recreations and new interviews from those close affected by the incident, including survivors and Jones’ family members.
Along with DiCaprio and Guin, Jennifer Davisson of Appian Way and Stephen David of Stephen David Entertainment are producing. Shan Nicholson has directed the show.
America’s SundanceTV will begin airing the show on Saturday, 17 November, at 9pm. The four-part series will air over two consecutive weekend nights that weekend.