2:35 PM PST 1/21/2017
by
Gregg Kilday
Netflix has made a second acquisition at the Sundance Film Festival, picking up worldwide rights to Jeff Orlowski’s documentary Chasing Coral, which looks at the state of the world’s coral reefs.
The film, a followup to Orlowski’s 2012 doc Chasing Ice , which looked at the melting ice caps, was produced by Orlowski and Larissa Rhodes. Chasing Coral , an Exposure Labs production, is having its world premiere at the festival Saturday.
In advance of the festival, Netflix also picked up worldwide rights to Kitty Green’s documentary Casting JonBenet .
Chasing Coral follows a team, racing against the clock, to document the mass death of coral reefs.
” Chasing Coral is a stunning cinematic achievement,” Lisa Nishimura, Netflix vp of Original Documentaries, said in announcing the acquisition. “Jeff has captured a beautiful view under the ocean seldom seen, giving viewers a first-hand tour through a dynamic and urgent issue. We are proud to have the film join our growing roster of films and series that aim to speak to a wide global audience and engage people simultaneously across borders. ”
Orlowski commented, “This project has been a labor of love for so many years. We wanted to make sure that our film found the right home, especially given the global scale of this story. In partnering with Netflix, we’re excited about working together to make a huge impact around the world.”
Chasing Cora l was produced in association with Argent Pictures and The Kendeda Fund and in partnership with The Ocean Agency and View Into the Blue. It was executive produced by David J. Cornfield, Linda A. Cornfield, Ryan W. Ahrens, and Jill K. Ahrens.
The deal with Netflix was negotiated by Submarine on behalf of the filmmakers.
