Disney+ announced today that Fauci, the feature documentary about the nation’s top infectious disease expert and dedicated public servant Dr. Anthony Fauci, M.D., will premiere on the service this Wednesday, October 6. Disney+ also released the trailer and key art for the film today.
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Fauci delivers a rare glimpse into the long-standing professional career and personal life of the ultimate public servant, who after a lifetime of service faced his biggest test: a pandemic whose ferocity is unmatched in modern history. With his signature blend of scientific acumen, candor, and integrity, Dr. Anthony Fauci became a cultural icon during the COVID-19 pandemic. But that has come at a cost as he has also faced attacks from adversaries in a nation increasingly divided by political party lines — with science increasingly caught in the crosshairs.
A world-renowned infectious disease specialist and the longest-serving public health leader in Washington, D.C., who has served under seven presidents, Dr. Fauci has overseen the U.S. response to 40 years’ worth of outbreaks, including HIV/AIDS, SARS, and Ebola. Crafted around unprecedented access to Dr. Fauci, National Geographic Documentary Films’ Fauci is a revealing and intimate portrait of the man mostly known only from appearances on the news.
Directed by Emmy winners John Hoffman (The Weight of the Nation, Sleepless in America, Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman) and Janet Tobias (Unseen Enemy, No Place on Earth), produced by Alexandra Moss (Not Done: Women Remaking America), Jon Bardin (All In: The Fight for Democracy), and executive produced by Academy Award winner Dan Cogan (Icarus), and two-time Academy Award nominee Liz Garbus (What Happened, Miss Simone?, The Farm: Angola, USA), the film debuted in select theaters in the U.S. on September 10, 2021. Opening cities included New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, D.C., and New Orleans.
“There is only one Dr. Tony Fauci, and it’s an incredible privilege to be the first to tell the story of his life and career, including his never-ending quest to cure disease and prevent outbreaks,” said Hoffman and Tobias.
The film features insights from former President George W. Bush, Bill Gates, Bono, former national security advisor Susan Rice, National Institutes of Health director Dr. Francis Collins, former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Tom Frieden, journalists Laurie Garrett and The New York Times’ Apoorva Mandavilli, and key AIDS activists, among others. Dr. Fauci’s family, friends, and former patients also provide more personal commentary about the man, his personality, and what makes him who he is.
“Janet and John did a remarkable job capturing the complex man I’ve come to know over the last three decades,” said Peter Staley, film subject and founding member of ACT UP. “As an activist, I think I’ll be tangling with Tony Fauci for the rest of my life, but I’ll never doubt his commitment to public health, nor his profound decency and humanity.”
The film is directed by John Hoffman and Janet Tobias, who have spent their careers telling important and compelling stories in the documentary space about science and public health. Over the past 36 years, Hoffman has made a specialty of communicating to a concerned public about disease, starting with HIV prevention and then addiction, Alzheimer’s, obesity, sleep, and the role of the NIH in leading the way on medical breakthroughs. Tobias’ recent film, Unseen Enemy, sounded a warning call about the threat of pandemics, which should not have gone unheeded.
Fauci is produced by Alexandra Moss (Not Done: Women Remaking America) and edited by Amy Foote (Father, Soldier, Son) and Brian Chamberlain (Not Me, Murphy). The director of photography is Claudia Raschke (RBG). For Story Syndicate, executive producers are Cogan, Garbus, and Jon Bardin (All In: The Fight for Democracy).
National Geographic Documentary Films previously released the Academy Award, BAFTA, and seven-time Emmy Award-winning film Free Solo and the Academy Award-nominated film The Cave. Other critically acclaimed films under the banner include Ron Howard’s Rebuilding Paradise; Sundance Audience Award winners Science Fair and Sea of Shadows; Emmy winners LA 92 and Jane, both of which were included in the top 15 documentaries considered for an Academy Award in 2017; and Dupont Award winner Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS.
