Netflix has announced that the company is acquiring worldwide rights to Jeff Orlowski’s Chasing Coral, with a release planned for later this year. The second film from Orlowski following his 2012 documentary Chasing Ice, the film is produced by Orlowski and Larissa Rhodes. Chasing Coral, an Exposure Labs production, makes its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Chasing Coral taps into the collective will and wisdom of an ad man, a self-proclaimed coral nerd, top-notch camera designers, and renowned marine biologists as they invent the first time-lapse camera to record coral bleaching events as they happen. Unfortunately, the effort is anything but simple, and the team doggedly battles technical malfunctions and the force of nature in pursuit of their golden fleece: documenting the indisputable and tragic transformation below the waves. With its breathtaking photography, nail-biting suspense, and startling emotion, Chasing Coral is a dramatic revelation that won’t have audiences sitting idle for long.
“Chasing Coral is a stunning cinematic achievement,” said Lisa Nishimura, Netflix’s VP of Original Documentaries. “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.”
Director Orlowski said, “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.”
“It took a village to make this film,” Rhodes said. “We shot over three years, spent 650+ hours underwater including footage from over 30 countries with the support of hundreds of people around the world. We’re thrilled that with Netflix, we’ll be able to bring this story about corals to the surface.”
Chasing Coral 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.
