Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown Announced
National Geographic and Hulu have announced the premiere of the third installment of the Emmy Award-winning, critically acclaimed franchise One Day in America with the Hulu Original Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown.
The three-part series from Emmy Award-winning 72 Films executive producers David Glover and Mark Raphael, BAFTA Award-winning director Marian Mohamed, and Academy Award-winning filmmakers Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin will premiere June 17 on Hulu and air on National Geographic on Aug. 14.
Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown tells the story of an idealistic religious organization led by the infamous Jim Jones, who set out to establish a utopian community in Guyana. What began as a peaceful movement seeking social justice ultimately spiraled into a mass casualty that left 918 dead.
Told by survivors and eyewitnesses, along with rare footage and rare recordings of Jones, the powerful series takes an immersive look into the final harrowing hours leading up to one of America’s darkest chapters.
Cult Massacre features first-person accounts from former Peoples Temple members, including Thom Bogue, Leslie Wagner Wilson, and Yulanda Williams; former member of Congress and aide to U.S. Rep. Leo Ryan Jackie Speier; former Washington Post foreign correspondent Charles Krause; former Special Ops Air Force Sgt. David Netterville and Jim Jones’s son, Stephan Jones.
Netterville was among the first of three U.S. service members to enter Jonestown in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy and has never spoken about his experience for a documentary before. Each episode focuses on the hours that led up to the shocking events of Nov. 18, 1978.
THE PROMISED LAND
In tumultuous 1970s America, Jim Jones is a charismatic church leader who preaches social justice to his growing, diverse congregation. To escape the inequities of the U.S., he sets up Jonestown, a utopian commune in the Guyanese jungle.
However, shocking rumors of abuse make their way to California’s Rep. Ryan and reporters. Within 24 hours of visiting, they discover their presence is unwelcome.
HOW VERY MUCH I’VE LOVED YOU
Tensions in Jonestown are at an all-time high after a knife-wielding Temple member attacks Rep. Ryan. Fearing more violence, the congressman and his group hurry out of Jonestown as quickly as possible.
Some Temple members come forward to leave with the visitors, desperate for safe passage out of the remote commune. As the group attempts to leave, Jim Jones has other sinister plans.
PARADISE LOST
Shocking news of the mass murder-suicide in Jonestown reaches the U.S. The White House dispatches the Special Forces to stop the unfolding crisis and locate Jim Jones.
Upon arrival, a scene of unimaginable horror confronts them, but hundreds of Jonestown residents are missing, prompting a desperate search for survivors who may have fled into the jungle.
Hulu series Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown is produced by 72 Films for National Geographic. For 72 Films, David Glover and Mark Raphael are executive producers, and Marian Mohamed is the director. For National Geographic, Carolyn Payne is executive producer, and Tom McDonald is executive vice president of Global Factual and Unscripted Content.
