“Surfside,” a documentary series about the 2021 collapse of Champlain Towers, is in development from director Stephanie Soechtig and former “E! News” host Jason Kennedy.
The Champlain Towers South was a 12-story condominium in Miami’s Surfside comunity that partially collapsed on June 24, 2021. The event resulted in the deaths of 98 people, becoming one of the deadliest structural failures in U.S. history.
The three-part documentary series will investigate the possible causes of the collapse by examining the 40-year history of the building, as well as the 2018 re-inspection process that revealed severe issues with the infrastructure that were swept under the rug. The series will feature first-hand accounts from survivors and never-before-seen footage of the event, and a recreation of a seven-minute escape through the building during the collapse.
“Initially, we were approaching it as a feature doc, but it quickly became clear that there was too much to tell in a 90-minute film. The building alone, constructed during the cocaine cowboy days of the 1970s, has an incredibly rich history,” Soechtig said Monday in a statement. “From a storytelling perspective, I was really drawn to this idea of looking at all the little moments in the 48 hours leading up to the collapse to foreshadow the events to come — from one resident having trouble with her sliding door, to the cracks in the foundation flagged for maintenance. There’s a treasure trove of personal videos and pictures to help us tell this dramatic story.”
Soechtig directs the film under her Atlas Films banner, with Kristin Lazure serving as producer. Kennedy executive produces with his sister, Associated Press journalist Kelli Kennedy.
“I’m so excited to team up with Atlas Films and my sister Kelli to make this happen,” Jason Kennedy said in a statement. “We are working with families whose voices need to be heard and have a lot to say. I want to thank them for trusting us to tell their stories.”
Soechtig is best known for her documentary films “Tapped,” “Fed Up” and “The Devil We Know.” She recently wrapped two documentary projects for Netflix.
