Dr. Anthony Fauci during an interview
National Geographic/Visko Hatfie
Dr. Anthony Fauci was a respected and dedicated public servant, but one who could walk the streets without turning heads or being recognized.
Then COVID-19 hit. Fauci became a vital source of information during the pandemic, with his “just the facts” style acting as a necessary counter to President Trump’s blind insistence that ‘one day, it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.” Fauci found himself on coffee mugs and t-shirts, as well as spoofed on “SNL.” He was a hero for those who supported applying a science-based approach to dealing with a worsening public health crisis, but not everyone was a fan. Fauci has also had contend with death threats and the ire of some far-right talking heads.
Now, Fauci will be the subject of a new feature length documentary, “Fauci,” from Emmy winners John Hoffman (“Sleepless in America”) and Janet Tobias (“Unseen Enemy”). Academy Award winner Dan Cogan (“Icarus”) and two-time Academy Award nominee Liz Garbus (“What Happened, Miss Simone?”) will produced the film, which National Geographic Documentary Films will release.
The filmmakers are promising to “deliver a rare glimpse into the long-standing professional career and personal life of this ultimate public servant and American hero, who after a lifetime of public service faced his biggest test: a pandemic whose ferocity is unmatched in modern history.”
The movie won’t just deal with Fauci’s work on COVID. It will also take viewers through his previous efforts to combat everything from AIDS to Ebola as a public official in seven administrations. To that end, the film will also include interviews with friends and colleagues, including George W. Bush, Bill Gates, Bono, former HHS secretary Sylvia Burwell, former national security advisor Susan Rice, NIH director Dr. Francis Collins, former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden, and various AIDS activists and organizers. Fauci’s family and friends will also be interviewed.
“There is only one Dr. Fauci, and it is an incredible privilege to bring his inspiring, lifelong quest to cure disease and prevent outbreaks, to viewers around the world,” said Hoffman and Tobias in a statement. “This film will be an unprecedented, intimate portrait of our nation’s greatest public servant, whose relentless pursuit of truth and devotion to science has never been more important.”
National Geographic Documentary Films has previously released “Free Solo,” which won an Oscar in 2019, and the Academy Award-nominated film “The Cave.”
Here’s a look at the trailer:
