Peter Jackson is making a commemorative World War I documentary

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

As a way of commemorating the hundred-year-end of The Great War, filmmaker Peter Jackson will dig deep into the archives of the BBC and London’s Imperial War Museum to create a feature-length documentary focusing on World War I. The yet-to-be-titled project will have a U.K.-wide release as part of the BFI London Film Festival in the Fall.

In an effort to make the presentation unique, Jackson and his team will present audiences with plenty of visual materials that have yet to be viewed by the public, with much of the footage being colorized by hand. Jackson has said that the goal of the film is to celebrate the brave men and women who fought in one of the most impactful wars the world has ever witnessed, and to share their stories in both a respectful and entertaining manner. Typically referred to as the "war to end all wars," the conflict lasted from the years 1914-18.

Set to be presented in both 2D and 3D, the film will be arrive under the banner "14-18 NOW" as a part of the conflict's 100-year remembrance, with organizations such as the British lottery funding, the Arts Council, and government’s department of culture each contributing to its release.

Jackson announced the project while attending BAFTA on Monday, saying that the Imperial War Museum approached him with the idea for the documentary several years ago. In essence, the IWM has been holding onto a treasure trove of yet-to-be-released material pertaining to the war, and wanted someone like Jackson to help explore and present the content as uniquely as possible.

While at BAFTA, Jackson said, “We’re making a film [that is] not the usual film you would expect on the First World War. We’re making a film that shows this incredible footage in which the faces of the men just jump out at you,” Jackson said. “It’s the people that come to life in this film.”

The film's content will be stitched together after having sifted through hundreds of hours of interviews with veterans in an effort to bring audience members as close to a personal experience within the war as possible. “We have made a movie which shows the experience of what it was like to fight in this war, not strategy [or] battles,” said Jackson.

Plans for the forthcoming documentary to be given to secondary schools in Britain is also in the works, with the goal of using it as an educational tool to inform young minds about the conflict that transpired nearly a century ago. In commenting on that aspect of the venture, BBC content chief Charlotte Moore said the film would “bring unheard voices from a hundred years ago to life for a whole new generation to experience.”

The yet-to-be-titled project is due to arrive this Fall.