The First Wave is a 2021 American documentary film, directed and produced by Matthew Heineman. The film follows a hospital in New York City, as it battles the COVID-19 pandemic. Alex Gibney serves as an executive producer.
The First Wave | |
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Directed by | Matthew Heineman |
Produced by |
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Distributed by | Neon |
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Running time | 93 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $62,376[2] |
It had its world premiere at the Hamptons Film Festival on October 7, 2021. It is scheduled to be released on November 19, 2021, by Neon.
The film follows a hospital in New York City from March to June 2020, as it battles the COVID-19 pandemic. The film examines structural factors that influenced the initial COVID outbreak and how such factors impact American society more broadly.
In April 2020, it was announced Heineman would direct a documentary film revolving around the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on health care workers with Alex Gibney set to serve as an executive producer.[3][4]
Matthew Heineman reached out to a source from his previous film Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare, to explore access opportunities at different medical facilities in New York, with Long Island Jewish Medical Center allowing Heineman and his crew to film.[5] Donning the same personal protective equipment as hospital staff, two-person teams deployed to chronicle unfolding events. No crew members contracted the virus during production.[6]
In March 2021, Neon and National Geographic Documentary Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[7] It had its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 7, 2021.[8] It also screened at the Busan International Film Festival and BFI London Film Festival on October 9, 2021.[9][10] It will also screen at AFI Fest in November 2021.[11] It is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 19, 2021.[12] and in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2021, by Dogwoof.[13]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's consensus reads "The First Wave presents a starkly gripping snapshot of a crisis unfolding -- and its grim toll on those who put their lives on the line to fight it".[14] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[15]
Award | Date | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
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Philadelphia Film Festival | November 4, 2021 | Best Documentary Feature | The First Wave | Won | [16] |
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | November 14, 2021 | Best Science/Nature Documentary | The First Wave | Nominated | [17] |
Best Editing | Francisco Bello, Matthew Heineman, Gabriel Rhodes, and David Zieff | Nominated | |||
Hollywood Music in Media Awards | November 17, 2021 | Song – Documentary Film | Jon Batiste (for the song "Breathe") | Nominated | [18] |
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | December 6, 2021 | Best Documentary | The First Wave | Nominated | [19] |
Cinema Eye Honors | March 1, 2022 | Outstanding Production | Matthew Heineman, Jenna Millman and Leslie Norville | Won | [20][21] |
International Documentary Association | March 4, 2022 | Pare Lorentz Award | Matthew Heineman, Jenna Millman and Leslie Norville | Won | [22][23] |
Best Cinematography | Ross McDonnell, Thorsten Thielow, Brian Dawson, Matthew Heineman, and Alex Pritz | Nominated | |||
Producers Guild of America Awards | March 19, 2022 | Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures | The First Wave | Nominated | [24] |
News and Documentary Emmy Awards | September 29, 2022 | Best Documentary | Won | [25] [26] | |
Outstanding Cinematography: Documentary | Brian Dawson, Matthew Heineman, Ross McDonnell, Alex Pritz, Thorsten Thielow | Won | |||
Outstanding Direction: Documentary | Matthew Heineman | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Editing: Documentary | Francisco Bello, Matthew Heineman, Gabriel Rhodes, David Zieff | Won | |||
Outstanding Music Composition | The First Wave | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Sound | Nominated | ||||
Outstanding Promotional Announcement | Nominated | ||||