INSIDE DISASTER HAITI - three-part documentary series to air on earthquake
anniversary on TVO

• World Broadcast Premiere January 11, 12 and 13, 2011 at 9 pm; encore viewing January 26, February 2 and 9 at 9 pm on TVO

TORONTO, Nov. 24 /CNW/ - Inside Disaster Haiti, a highly-anticipated new three-part documentary detailing the monumental humanitarian efforts of Red Cross relief teams in Haiti makes its World Broadcast Premiere on TVO on January 11 ^th, 12^th and 13^th, 2011 at 9 pm, coinciding with the one year anniversary of the devastating Haiti earthquake.

Produced by PTV Productions and commissioned by TVO, Inside Disaster: Haiti offers a front row seat to the inner-workings of the Haiti relief operation through unprecedented access to the Red Cross' international disaster response teams, and the brave individuals who dedicate their lives to saving millions of others in the largest relief operation in their history.

Conceived by Director/Producer Nadine Pequeneza as a project to document a large-scale relief effort, Inside Disaster was green lit in September 2009 after Pequeneza negotiated access to the International Federation of Red Crosses (IFRC).  For six months the production team had two film crews on standby ready to deploy along with the Red Cross FACT team. The Red Cross Field Assessment and Coordination Team (FACT) is the Red Cross' international, multi-disciplinary team, trained to assess need, call in help, and oversee a disaster response.

The statistics of the January 12 ^th, 2010 Haitian earthquake remain mind numbingly overwhelming:  250,000 dead, 300,000 injured and 1.7 million homeless. Inside Disaster: Haiti breaks through the wall of statistics by taking audiences behind the headlines of a large-scale disaster to document the emergency relief operation from first response to recovery.

"Because there was no way of knowing whether we would be filming in the aftermath of a cyclone, a tsunami or an earthquake, we had to be prepared for every situation," said Executive Producer Andrea Nemtin.. "We packed military food rations, water filters, sleeping bags, mosquito nets, satellite phones, a generator….and then we waited. We tracked every warning sign; tropical storms, earth tremors, rumbling volcanoes. There were many false alerts - disasters not big enough to warrant a large-scale international response. Then, the most unexpected disaster struck….at 16:54 on January 12^th, an earthquake in Haiti."

An hour after the quake struck, Pequeneza was on the phone with her contacts at the Red Cross and plane tickets were booked that evening. Thirty-six hours later, Nadine and the Inside Disaster Haiti' film crew crossed the Dominican border into Haiti along with the Red Cross FACT team.

In Haiti, the Red Cross had 600 trained humanitarians, from over 30 countries on the ground.  Embedded in the Red Cross base camp, Inside Disaster Haiti's filmmakers had unprecedented access to the gripping stories, compelling characters and intense drama that unfolded in the hours, days, weeks and months after Haiti's horrific quake.

For six months, and with two camera crews Inside Disaster Haiti shadowed the Red Cross' disaster specialists as they spearheaded the emergency, relief and recovery phases of the relief effort. The series also tells the stories of Haitian survivors; three courageous individuals who in the face of tremendous grief and loss, struggle to adapt to the brutal reality of post-quake Haiti.

Nadine Pequeneza and Andrea Nemtin are available for interviews. Please contact Paul Ginis or Virginia Kelly at the coordinates below to schedule.

The series is accompanied by an award winning interactive website Inside Disaster (http://insidedisaster.com/haiti/); the premiere online destination for interactive and educational content about the Haiti earthquake and humanitarian work; and Inside the Haiti Earthquake (http://insidethehaitiearthquake.com/) a first-person simulation about the Haiti earthquake and humanitarian work.

Produced By PTV Production, in association with TVO, ITVS Global Entertainment and Canal D, with the participation of the Canadian Media Fund, the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Bell Broadcast and new Media Fund, ACCESS, SCN and ichannel, the Ontario Media Development Corporation - Tax Credit Program and the Canadian Film and Video Production Tax Credit.

About TVO
Celebrating 40 years, TVO's vision is to empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. TVO is funded primarily by the Province of Ontario and supported by thousands of donors. For more information, visit tvo.org.

About PTV
PTV Productions Inc. is an established, diverse & innovative producer of multi-platfrom documentaries, lifestyle and factual series.  It is owned and operated by Andrea Nemtin and Ian Dunbar. PTV Productions works with broadcasters and co-producers in Canada and around the world, and owns a growing library of over 60 hours of award-winning and award-nominated documentaries and series.

For further information:

Media Contacts:

Paul Ginis
TVO Marketing and Communications
T: [phone] x2445
E: [email protected]

Virginia Kelly
V Kelly & Associates, Inc.
T: [phone]
F: [phone]
E: [email protected]

For PTV Enquiries:
Lyndsey Westfall
T: [phone] x233
F: [phone]
E: [email protected]