We’ve had a fantastic screening and special Q&A of The First Wave with director Matthew Heineman and lead film subject Dr. Nathalie Douge. Check out the highlights below, and watch this incredibly moving film at Bertha DocHouse from Friday 3rd December.
“Everyone was inundated by stats and headlines and misinformation and I just felt this enormous obligation to try and put a human face to Covid and to try and show what really happened inside a hospital”
Matthew Heineman
“As a female black physician who typically isn’t represented on a public forum, I thought it would be foolish to miss out on such an opportunity for the world to see just a glimpse of my perspective on the day to day”
Dr. Nathalie Douge
If anyone wants to see what it was like in hospitals at the start of the pandemic, and what people fear going back to, watch the documentary The First Wave. It shows exactly what being unvaccinated means. In cinemas now.@natgeodocs @NatGeo#TheFirstWavehttps://t.co/zFOaWM4pGQ
— Stephen Applebaum (@grubstreetsteve) November 28, 2021
Floored by a London screening of documentary #TheFirstWave by @MattHeineman . A testament to the bravery of NYC doctors, nurses and healthcare workers fighting to save lives affected by COVID. A devastatingly moving film charting the suffering and humanity of all concerned.
— Raad Rawi (@raadrawi) November 25, 2021
@mfletchertimes discusses superb new #Covid19 doc #TheFirstWave with director @MattHeineman and its NY star Dr Nathalie Douge last night. Rave US reviews - ‘soul-piercing’…’immeasurable journalistic value’. In UK cinemas from today pic.twitter.com/f9Rr2GLYl3
— Sean Ryan (@seanmatthewryan) November 26, 2021
Initially playing like a horror thriller, but also serving as testament to frontline health workers, gripping documentary #TheFirstWave profiles some of the medics in NYC hospital as they deal with March 2020 COVID onslaught. Doc also judiciously weaves in concurrent BLM protests pic.twitter.com/UdXWRLtVDr
— David Willoughby (@DWill_Crackfilm) November 26, 2021
This film brutally captures the first horrific months of the Covid pandemic in NYC. Any Covid fatigue is blown away in the opening minutes. It’s gripping. A tough watch but we mustn’t forget. Go see it! @MattHeineman #thefirstwave @Dogwoof pic.twitter.com/UPP1Hic2FV
— Tony Brown (@tonyprod77) November 26, 2021
Before the next wave go see this film and take friends and family with you. Most of all the deniers. It is a necessary, brave and emotional film but fear not to watch it as it is as cinematic and accessible as it gets. You won’t regret it! https://t.co/S9cYRUYOQF
— Alexander Nanau (@AlexanderNanau) November 25, 2021
Out this week, #TheFirstWave will hit close to home for quite a number of us. An emotional roller coaster, this documentary focusing on the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in New York will bring a tear to your eye ★★★★@Dogwoof @The_Upcominghttps://t.co/dOWWI5xz1n
— Guy Lambert (@GuyBertie) November 23, 2021
With exclusive access to one of New York’s hardest hit hospital systems, Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award–winning director Matthew Heineman’s THE FIRST WAVE spotlights the everyday heroes at the epicentre of COVID-19 as they come together to fight one of the greatest threats the world has ever encountered. Leaving a devastating trail of death and despair, this once-in-a-century pandemic changed the very fabric of daily life and exposed long-standing inequities in our society. The “first wave” of COVID-19 ravaged New York from March through June 2020. With Heineman’s signature approach of character-driven cinema vérité, THE FIRST WAVE documents those harrowing first four months, embedding with a group of doctors, nurses, and patients on the frontlines as they all navigated the crisis. Their distinct storylines each serve as a microcosm through which we can view the emotional and societal impacts of the pandemic, and are a testament to the strength of the human spirit.