THE FIRST WAVE Documentaries Virtual Screenings

Talent attending in-person screening: Matthew Heineman (director/producer), Jenna Millman (producer), Leslie Norville (producer), Dr. Nathalie Dougé (subject), Ahmed Ellis (subject), Alexis Ellis (subject), Karl Arabian (subject), Brussels Jabon (subject), Naph Jabon (subject).

“Every day we look death right in its eye. And the scary part is it looks right back at you.”

In early 2020, New York City is the number one hotspot for COVID-19 in the United States and has more cases than entire countries. On the hospital frontlines with doctors, nurses, patients and hopeful families, Academy Award®-nominated documentary filmmaker Matthew Heineman takes a poignant look at the unforeseen turmoil of this novel health crisis. For these first four months of the pandemic, resilient recoveries and tearful reunions occur and last words to loved ones are spoken. With immediate access, the film portrays the disproportionate effect of the virus on communities of color, civil unrest sparked from the murder of George Floyd and eventually the emergence from lockdown. –Julia Kipnis