Latest news with #firedisaster
Telegraph
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Grenfell Uncovered: Netflix should be commended for such sober, vital journalism
The only fault in Grenfell Uncovered, Netflix's feature-length documentary about the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster, is that it doesn't uncover that much. Although director Olaide Sadiq has worked meticulously through the litany of failures that led to the fire that killed 72 people – and although it is absolutely worth reiterating how the warnings were ignored, how private companies put profit before public safety and how the then-government put a crazed disdain for what it called 'red tape' ahead of its citizens' protection – all of this was covered off in gruesome, shocking detail in the Grenfell Inquiry's 1,700-page final report. This was published in September last year and was widely summarised and reported. Still, in an era of global streamers with disparate, global audiences, part of the challenge for documentary-makers is second guessing what their viewers will know already. In this, Grenfell Uncovered has gone for the only available option, which is the full, grim picture. It is not, it hardly needs saying, an easy watch. In many ways, the documentary's trump card is its editing. That sounds very boring, but for the viewer it means a linear narrative, starting from the first 999 call, that then spread its tentacles down timelines of personal stories and historic corporate malfeasance. The dexterous splicing means that in spite of all this context, the film retains an agonising momentum. As portrayed here, Arconic, Celotex and all the other stupidly named multinationals got busy with their 'systematic dishonesty' years ago while in the foreground Grenfell burned. Personal testimony from the families who lost love ones is contrasted with staggering bureaucratic indifference and what the inquiry called 'a merry-go-round of buck-passing'. It'll make you angry, which is precisely what this kind of sober, important journalism should do. This, as you'll have gathered, is an excellent documentary, and credit should be given to Netflix for commissioning it. It is well known in telly circles that these are dire times for documentary film-makers. Big streamers, the line goes, want to steer clear of politics, instead opting for big, user-friendly series, ideally involving gruesome historical crimes about which we can speculate to our hearts' content. Grenfell Uncovered is not that. Not only is it a one-off film, foregoing the subscription catnip of a series for a more powerful one-shot format, but it also goes for the jugular. The Cameron government that loosened regulations are lambasted, along with Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the London Fire Brigade and every individual who could be proved to have shirked their responsibilities. The then-prime minister Theresa May even appears in an interview in which she addresses both her actions and, more importantly, her inactions. Like much of the film, this is not quite the coup it has been presented as – May has said she regrets her response (not going to meet survivors of the blaze when she first visited the site) before. But her inertia was presented in the film as part of a more general theme – of powerful people and corporations having the chance to take action, and choosing not to. Carelessness, yet again, costs lives.
BreakingNews.ie
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Grenfell survivors and bereaved call for justice in Netflix documentary trailer
Grenfell Tower survivors and the bereaved can be heard calling for justice while one person claims victims were treated like 'scroungers' who 'didn't deserve anything' in a trailer for a new Netflix documentary about the disaster. Grenfell: Uncovered, which launches on June 20th, will aim to share the voices of those impacted by the fire as it examines the chain of events which led to the incident that left 72 people dead in 2017, when the blaze spread via combustible cladding on the west London tower block's exterior. Advertisement In a trailer for the documentary, one woman can be heard saying: 'We just want justice, why did this have to happen? Why?' A man adds: 'We raised concerns with the council. We were labelled scroungers, we didn't deserve anything, so just shut up.' Elsewhere a voiceover can be heard describing the disaster as a 'huge corporate scandal', while former Conservative prime minister Theresa May remarks that 'sadly companies were able to find a way around the regulations'. Clips of the tower block ablaze are shown in the trailer while one survivor explains she was told to stay inside while the fire was taking hold despite the fact it 'was getting closer', before saying she later 'dashed for the stairwell'. Advertisement Directed by Olaide Sadiq, who worked as a producer on Netflix's The Final: Attack On Wembley documentary, and produced by Rogan Productions, the documentary will also feature contributions from firefighters, politicians and industry experts. The documentary Grenfell: Uncovered streams on Netflix on June 20th. Photo: Netflix/PA. Earlier this month, the Government announced the building's demolition could begin in September, with the decision to remove the tower met with criticism from some of the bereaved and survivors, who felt their views had not been considered. The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower, with recommendations including a 'sacred space' designed to be a 'peaceful place for remembering and reflecting'. In February, it was revealed that seven firms, including cladding and insulation companies, criticised in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry final report, could be banned from trading, as the UK government pledged to bring change in the wake of the fatal fire. Advertisement
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Grenfell survivors and bereaved call for justice in Netflix documentary trailer
Grenfell Tower survivors and the bereaved can be heard calling for justice while one person claims victims were treated like 'scroungers' who 'didn't deserve anything' in a trailer for a new Netflix documentary about the disaster. Grenfell: Uncovered, which launches on June 20, will aim to share the voices of those impacted by the fire as it examines the chain of events which led to the incident that left 72 people dead in 2017, when the blaze spread via combustible cladding on the west London tower block's exterior. In a trailer for the documentary, one woman can be heard saying: 'We just want justice, why did this have to happen? Why?' A man adds: 'We raised concerns with the council. We were labelled scroungers, we didn't deserve anything, so just shut up.' Elsewhere a voiceover can be heard describing the disaster as a 'huge corporate scandal', while former Conservative prime minister Theresa May remarks that 'sadly companies were able to find a way around the regulations'. Clips of the tower block ablaze are shown in the trailer while one survivor explains she was told to stay inside while the fire was taking hold despite the fact it 'was getting closer', before saying she later 'dashed for the stairwell'. Directed by Olaide Sadiq, who worked as a producer on Netflix's The Final: Attack On Wembley documentary, and produced by Rogan Productions, the documentary will also feature contributions from firefighters, politicians and industry experts. Earlier this month, the Government announced the building's demolition could begin in September, with the decision to remove the tower met with criticism from some of the bereaved and survivors, who felt their views had not been considered. The Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission has been consulting on plans for a permanent memorial in the area of the tower, with recommendations including a 'sacred space' designed to be a 'peaceful place for remembering and reflecting'. In February, it was revealed seven firms, including cladding and insulation companies, criticised in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry final report could be banned from trading, as the Government pledged to bring change in the wake of the fatal fire.
