The afterlife is getting the docuseries treatment at Netflix.
Filmmaker Ricki Stern (Reversing Roe, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work) will exec produce and direct Surviving Death, which is based on the book from best-selling author and journalist Leslie Kean. The series releases Jan. 6.
The investigative series is an in-depth exploration into the possibility of an afterlife. Over six episodes, Surviving Death will explore questions that have been contemplated throughout time, such as: What does it mean to die? And, is death the end of our existence? Weaving together innovative new research with first-hand accounts from those who’ve been close to — and even experienced — death, the series takes viewers on an extraordinary journey into a world beyond human existence as we know it, according to the Netflix synopsis.
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“The question of what happens to us after we die is something we have pondered throughout history — confronting mortality takes us down a path to explore the possibility that consciousness might live on after the body dies,” Stern tells The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. “Reading Leslie Kean’s book Surviving Death, I was fascinated by the many scientists and doctors who have been studying this question, by the extraordinary cases where people have died and come back to share their experiences, and by the emotionally poignant stories of people seeking contact with their loved ones through mediums.”
Throughout the episodes, Surviving Death will feature interviews from scientists, mediums, paranormal experts and child psychiatrists to explore near-death experiences, seances and other after-death communications, and past-life recollections. “The series Surviving Death takes the viewer into the research labs of scientists exploring consciousness and into the lives of real people who have experienced loss and grief, seeking answers to the question, what happens when we die? Is there life after death?” explains Stern.
Coming amid the second wave of the global coronavirus pandemic, the director adds, “At this time when the world is experiencing so much death, my hope is that the series will speak to anyone who has ever wondered about a lost loved one or has tried to understand the meaning of death and what might come after.”
Surviving Death is a Break Thru Films production. Along with Stern, Jesse Sweet is co-executive producer. Stern’s credits as a producer and director include the recent documentaries Surviving Jeffrey Epstein, The Preppy Murder: Death in Central Park and Marathon: The Patriots Day Bombing.
