72 Films for Nat Geo, Hulu and Disney+

Exec Producers: David Glover and Mark Raphael

Director: Marian Mohamed

Editor: Jennifer Hampson (Episodes 2 & 3)

As the latest instalment in National Geographic’s acclaimed One Day in America historical documentary franchise, Cult Massacre: A Day in Jonestown offers a comprehensive and thoroughly researched examination of the largest mass murder-suicide in American history.

On 18 November 1978, in the Guyanese agricultural commune of Jonestown, 918 people either committed suicide or were forcibly killed. Director Marian Mohamed describes her three-part series as a historical record tracing the cult’s origins, the activities that attracted the interest of US media and law enforcement, its move to Guyana and the subsequent massacre. Told by survivors and eyewitnesses, and supported by archive, including an hour of newly revealed footage and audio recordings taped around Jonestown at the time of the massacre, it’s an impressive example of investigative filmmaking, bringing a fresh perspective and immersive look into one of America’s darkest chapters.

Jennifer Hampson spent nearly 9 months editing with 72 Films on episodes 2 (‘How Much I’ve Loved You’) and 3 (‘Paradise Lost’). The episodes respectively focus on the final harrowing hours that precipitated the terrible events and their aftermath, involving a huge amount of archive footage.

Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown, which premiered in June at Sheffield documentary film Festival and has been streaming on Disney+ since, is now available on National Geographic and Sky.