The First Wave (film)

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The First Wave
The First Wave poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMatthew Heineman
Produced by
  • Matthew Heineman
  • Jenna Millman
  • Leslie Norville
Cinematography
  • Matthew Heineman
  • Ross McDonnell
  • Thorsten Thielow
  • Brian Dawson
  • Alex Pritz
Edited by
  • Francisco Bello
  • Matthew Heineman
  • Gabriel Rhodes
  • David Zieff
Music by
Production
companies
  • National Geographic Documentary Films
  • Participant
  • Our Time Projects
Distributed byNeon
Release date
  • October 7, 2021 (2021-10-07) (HFF)
  • November 19, 2021 (2021-11-19)
Running time
93 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$62,376[2]

The First Wave is a 2021 American documentary film, directed and produced by Matthew Heineman. The film follows a hospital in New York City, as it battles the COVID-19 pandemic. Alex Gibney serves as an executive producer.

It had its world premiere at the Hamptons Film Festival on October 7, 2021. It is scheduled to be released on November 19, 2021, by Neon.

Plot[]

The film follows a hospital in New York City from March to June 2020, as it battles the COVID-19 pandemic.

Production[]

Matthew Heineman had reached out to a source from his previous film Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare, to reach out to different medical facilities in New York, with Long Island Jewish Medical Center allowing Heineman and his crew to film.[3] Heineman and the crew used an unused conference room in the hospital to change into medical gear and keep their equipment, rotating in two-person crews, wearing the same Personal protective equipment as nurses and doctors, with no one on the crew testing positive for the virus.[4]

In April 2020, it was announced Heineman would direct a documentary film revolving around the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on health care workers with Alex Gibney set to serve as an executive producer.[5][6]

Release[]

In March 2021, Neon and National Geographic Documentary Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[7] It had its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 7, 2021.[8] It also screened at the Busan International Film Festival and BFI London Film Festival on October 9, 2021.[9][10] It will also screen at AFI Fest in November 2021.[11] It is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 19, 2021.[12] and in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2021, by Dogwoof.[13]

Reception[]

Critical reception[]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10.[14] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[15]

Accolades[]

Award Date Category Recipient Result Ref.
Philadelphia Film Festival November 4, 2021 Best Documentary Feature The First Wave Won [16]
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards November 14, 2021 Best Science/Nature Documentary The First Wave Nominated [17]
Best Editing Francisco Bello, Matthew Heineman, Gabriel Rhodes, and David Zieff Nominated
Hollywood Music in Media Awards November 17, 2021 Song – Documentary Film Jon Batiste (for the song "Breathe") Nominated [18]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association December 6, 2021 Best Documentary The First Wave Nominated [19]
Cinema Eye Honors January 13, 2022 Outstanding Production Matthew Heineman, Jenna Millman and Leslie Norville Pending [20]
International Documentary Association February 5, 2022 Pare Lorentz Award Matthew Heineman, Jenna Millman and Leslie Norville Won [21]
Best Cinematography Ross McDonnell, Thorsten Thielow, Brian Dawson, Matthew Heineman, and Alex Pritz Pending
Producers Guild of America Awards February 26, 2022 Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures The First Wave Pending [22]

References[]

  1. ^ "The First Wave". Guild Hall. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  2. ^ "The First Wave (2021)". The Numbers. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  3. ^ Hinkle, Annette (October 6, 2021). "Documenting A Pandemic: 'The First Wave' Revisits the Fear in New York City in Spring 2020". Sag Harbour Express. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  4. ^ Thompson, Ann (October 6, 2021). "'The First Wave': Why Were Film Festivals Too Scared to Show Matthew Heineman's Covid Doc?". IndieWire. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  5. ^ Lee, Chris (April 30, 2020). "The Race to Make the First Coronavirus Documentary Has Begun". Vulture. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  6. ^ Thompson, Anne (October 14, 2020). "'Totally Under Control' Documentary: COVID Is Not, and Alex Gibney Found Out Why". IndieWire. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  7. ^ Carey, Matthew (March 29, 2021). "NatGeo Acquires Director Matthew Heineman's Covid-19-Themed Documentary 'The First Wave,' Plans 2021 Debut". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  8. ^ Hipes, Patrick (August 12, 2021). "Matthew Heineman's Covid Doc 'The First Wave' To Open Hamptons Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  9. ^ "The First Wave". Busan International Film Festival. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  10. ^ "The First Wave". BFI London Film Festival. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  11. ^ "AFI Fest 2021 Full Lineup Announced". AFI Fest. October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  12. ^ Hammond, Pete (October 7, 2021). "'The First Wave' Review: Harrowing Covid Documentary Will Give You Chills And Reason To Get Vaccinated – Hamptons Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  13. ^ "The First Wave". Film Distributors Association. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  14. ^ "The First Wave". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  15. ^ "The First Wave". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  16. ^ Costello, Emily (November 4, 2021). "30th Philadelphia Film Festival Award Winners!". Philadelphia Film Society. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  17. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (October 8, 2021). "'Ascension' and 'Summer of Soul' Lead Critics Choice Documentary Nominations". IndieWire. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  18. ^ "2021 Music in Visual Media Nominations". Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  19. ^ "'Belfast' Finds Everlasting Love with WAFCA Critics" (PDF). Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  20. ^ Grobar, Matt (November 10, 2021). "'Flee' & 'Summer Of Soul' Lead Cinema Eye Honors Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  21. ^ Thompson, Anne (November 15, 2021). "2021 IDA Awards Nominations Led by 'Summer of Soul' and 'Faya Dayi'". IndieWire. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  22. ^ Pond, Steve (December 10, 2021). "'Ascension,' 'Flee' and 'Summer of Soul' Land Producers Guild Documentary Nominations". TheWrap. Retrieved December 10, 2021.

External links[]

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