Dr. Anthony Fauci, aka the person who helped America navigate the apocalyptic intersection of COVID-19 and Trump, is getting his own documentary. National Geographic Documentary Films announced the project via a press release. Janet Tobias (“Unseen Enemy”) and John Hoffman (“Sleepless in America”) directed “Fauci” and Oscar nominee Liz Garbus executive produced.
Featuring exclusive access to Fauci, the film “will deliver a rare glimpse into the long-standing professional career and personal life of this ultimate public servant and American hero, who after a lifetime of public service faced his biggest test: a pandemic whose ferocity is unmatched in modern history.”
Fauci started out working in his father’s pharmacy in Brooklyn, and is now D.C.’s longest-serving public health leader. He has served on the U.S. frontlines of the AIDS, SARS, and Ebola outbreaks, worked with seven presidents, and testified before Congress more than any other person.
“Through intimate interviews, Dr. Fauci will take us on a journey through his remarkable career,” the source details, “with a particular focus on HIV/AIDS — from the dark years when there was no treatment and little funding to the advent of triple therapy, and his efforts to bring cutting-edge medications to sub-Saharan Africa through the development of The President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has saved more than 18 million lives since 2003.”
Family, friends, patients, AIDS activists, former HHS secretary Sylvia Burwell, former national security advisor Susan Rice, and more will appear as interviewees in “Fauci.”
“There is only one Dr. Fauci, and it is an incredible privilege to bring his inspiring, lifelong quest to cure disease and prevent outbreaks, to viewers around the world,” Tobias and Hoffman remarked. “This film will be an unprecedented, intimate portrait of our nation’s greatest public servant, whose relentless pursuit of truth and devotion to science has never been more important.”
Carolyn Bernstein, National Geographic’s EVP of scripted content and documentary films, added, “Dr. Fauci has become a household name because of COVID-19, but what people may not realize is the heroic and integral role he has played in shaping our national response to serious health crises for more than 50 years. We couldn’t ask for better partners than John, Janet, [EP Dan Cogan,] and Liz to bring audiences this inside look at the man behind the legacy, and we hope his remarkable story will inspire a new generation to pursue public service with the same commitment and verve.”
“No Place on Earth” and “Memory Games” are among Tobias’ other documentaries. She’s a two-time WGA Award nominee, and received an Emmy for exec producing docuseries “Life 360.”
Most recently, Garbus co-directed voter suppression doc “All In: The Fight for Democracy” and true crime docuseries “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.” She received Oscar nods for “What Happened Miss Simone?” and “The Farm: Angola, USA.” She won an Emmy for the former and scored an Emmy nomination for the latter.
No word on a premiere date for “Fauci” just yet, but you can check out the trailer below.
