It was a beautiful country with remote areas that we could populate.". "They were wonderful people. ABC. Jonestown massacre survivors recount hell of mass suicide that killed 918 death cult members. "That kind of community can exist: it did not depend on Jim Jones, it depended on really committed people. You are here: Home | Two new documentaries revisit Jonestown. "Jim Jones was a con artist - he made everyone feel he was their father," Laura says of the leader. Every possible thing that could be botched, was botched. Jonestown cult survivor recalls horrifying massacre. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a selection of the best full length documentaries in english you can find here on YouTube. Some real heavy shit. In 1977, Laura and hundreds of others uprooted their lives to re-settle at the People's Temple Agricultural Project - informally known as Jonestown after its leaders' name. DocuWiki.net serves as an index of documentary films on the Edonkey Network. "His drug addiction and his personality disorders were getting worse. Members lived together in small communal houses, and reported working long days in sweltering heat during their increasingly politicised daily lives. Directed by Stanley Nelson. “Any documentary that portrays Peoples Temple followers as anything other than robots is a good thing,” he said. In 1978 over 900 people led by Rev. She believes her relocation was a calculated move by Jones, brought on because of growing scrutiny and an impending visit by California Congressman Leo Ryan. "They were my family. In 1978 over 900 people led by Rev. 1. "There had been no forum to have negative discussions until then," she says. Jim Jones died in the largest mass murder-suicide in history, at Jonestown, Guyana. "In 1974, the cult leader Jim Jones said he wanted us to find a place away from all the drugs and alcohol in America," she recalls. She had been out of the building when the message arrived, and returned to find Guyanese national defence forces bringing out the body-bags for the secretary and her children. The trauma of working out the minority who had lived became traumatising and overwhelming, so on meet-ups she found herself surprised to encounter people she did not know had made it out. He relayed his great-uncle’s grievance in an essay that appeared in another self-published account, the 2016 anthology A New Look at Jonestown: Dimensions from a Guyanese Perspective . In a new A&E documentary, Leslie Wagner-Wilson tells the story of how she survived the deadly Jonestown cult. By Georgina Rannard & Kelly-Leigh CooperBBC News. Decades on, this Sunday's memorial will bring some survivors and their relatives together for the first time. And the filmmakers are eyeing a ripe demographic: young politically minded audiences that grew up after Jonestown but are fascinated by religious extremism. There's no point in living with hatred. Reiterman was shot by temple followers in Guyana while reporting on the congressional delegation led by Rep. Leo Ryan, who was killed in the attack at an airstrip as defectors tried to flee. The book this documentary was based on: “the road to Jonestown” is an excellent read - I listened to it through Audible. .css-1snjdh1-IconContainer{display:none;height:0.875em;width:0.875em;vertical-align:-0.0625em;margin-right:0.25em;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link{color:inherit;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited{color:#696969;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link:hover,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited:hover,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link:focus,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited:focus{color:#B80000;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link::after,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited::after{content:'';position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;z-index:2;}Why did more than 900 people die because of this man? "Some people went out to try to identify some of the people. Our website includes affiliate links, which means we get a small commission — at no additional cost to you — for each qualifying purpose. By Georgina Rannard & Kelly-Leigh Cooper BBC News. "Sometimes when we gather, people speak or we sing songs. Deep in the South American jungle they set about building a new community and called it Jonestown, it was to be their ‘Paradise on Earth’ but when outsiders threatened to expose the dark side of their leader, their paradise erupted into violence. Tim Carter's brother-in-law Lew Jones, who was the adopted son of Peoples Temple leader Jim Jones, is pictured with his son Chaeoke Jones at Jonestown in 1977. "I never had any fears. She submitted an affidavit which spoke about the "tyrannical hold" of the Messianic Jones, he wrote in the Washington Post shortly after. "Meeting these other people for these anniversaries has helped me rebuild my life - the reality is that I am not just Laura Kohl, I am the Laura Kohl who went to People's Temple, who survived People's Temple and who continues to kick ass," she says. son-of-mike. Reiterman said he was pleased with both films’ efforts to further understanding of the temple’s followers, many of whom joined with the best of motives, and of the circumstances surrounding the deaths. The Nazis and the Final Solution" is a brilliant and powerful 6 part BBC series that you'll definitely want to watch. Read about our approach to external linking. It will also unveil previously unheard recordings from the FBI, once classified documents and recreations of pivotal events and society inside Jonestown. This feature length film, a hybrid of documentary and drama, tracks the final, 5-day build up to a horrific doomsday - the infamous mass murder/suicides of Jim Jones' People's Temple on November 18th, 1978. Everybody else needs to commit revolutionary suicide right now. I was a mess. When you scratch deep enough, you realize that these are people with very good intentions.”. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit"; Category: Documentary On 18th November 1978, over 900 men, women and children lost their lives at Jonestown, a remote settlement established by the People's Temple in northern Guyana. With Derek Nelson, Andromeda Godfrey, Tiffany Ceri, Harriet Rees. "We had options there - you could walk down the street and see people, get in a car, or get in an embassy. "We found Guyana, in South America, which was the perfect country for us to move to. On November 18, 1978, 909 members of the Peoples Temple living in the Jonestown settlement in Guyana consumed a deadly, cyanide-laced drink. Of the nearly 1,000 church members who began the day in Jonestown, a cult commune, only 33 survived to see the next day. ... You've never seen Jonestown like this. General Information . "People were accusing Jim Jones of abducting their children, and his secretaries had run away with scandalous information about what was going on.". with rebecca moore, janet shular, tim carter, stanley clayton. It’s important that we question our leaders about who they are and where they’re leading us.”. Deaths in Jonestown. Wolochatiuk’s film focuses solely on the final days of Jonestown and the temple’s sudden unraveling. This documentary looks at the tragic death of 913 men, ... Jonestown was the informal name for the “Peoples Temple Agricultural Project”, an intentional community in northwestern Guyana formed by the Peoples Temple, a cult from California, United States, led by Jim Jones. "I could hate Jim Jones but then so what? There is no real way to know exactly who died how. It’s super eerie shit. "Jonestown wasn't set up for so many people - we were 1,000 - and we were not self-sufficient. The "socialist paradise" abroad would allow Jones and his group to practise their way of life away from the intense media scrutiny that was beginning to amass back in California. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; We were crying, like I still cry now. .css-1xgx53b-Link{font-family:ReithSans,Helvetica,Arial,freesans,sans-serif;font-weight:700;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:#FFFFFF;}.css-1xgx53b-Link:hover,.css-1xgx53b-Link:focus{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}Read about our approach to external linking. Jonestown Massacre How 918 People Followed A Cult Leader. Many of us were inconsolable," she says. ", "They feared repercussions of the death of the congressman," she says. This documentary looks at the tragic death of 913 men, women and children who lived in a religious compound in the jungles of Guyana, South America, and investigates leader Jim Jones and his message of brotherhood and social justice. Free Member. 1 of 11 Undated photo of Bob Brown working in the field. The final death toll, including the airstrip killings and Jones himself, totalled 918 people. "My life was in turmoil, I had a failed marriage and I was looking for a place to be political in a safer environment after a series of bad decisions," she recalls. "This is the Zodiac Speaking" (2008) - To celebrate the fact that this week, after 51 years, the Zodiac's notorious 340 cipher has finally been solved, here is the best documentary … And meanwhile, Laura recalls, "Jim Jones's state of mind was deteriorating and the Jonestown experiment was beginning to fail. In the 17th century, on the edge of the untamed Virginian wilderness, sits the English colony. In May 1978 an aide close to Jones, Deborah Layton Blakey, escaped to Georgetown to seek refuge at the American embassy. Sensing the end, Jones triggered a tragic chain of events, forcing his followers to a dark conclusion. Much of the Peoples Temple story is in large collections of audiotapes which are available to researchers and the general public. How harmful are the teachings of Michael and Debi Pearl? Now Available in PBS Passport. featuring never before seen footage, this documentary delivers a startling new look at the peoples temple, headed by preacher jim jones who, in 1978, led more than 900 members to guyana, where he orchestrated a mass suicide via tainted punch. They did so on the orders of the cult's leader, Jim Jones. 0. ftakeith2 Posts: 799. He was less and less able to function.". "It's so much a part of me. After a year back at the People's Temple, Laura joined another community where she met her husband and lived for a decade where they had a son together. CBS I was adventurous and I was delighted about the opportunity to live in the rainforest," she says. They did so on the orders of the cult's leader, Jim Jones. "We had gone through this collective trauma together. But it wasn't the complete paradise they were promised. Roman Kemp is said to be putting together a documentary tackling male suicide that will air on BBC. With Vernon Gosney, Leslie Wagner-Wilson, Tim Carter, Jim Jones Jr.. Docuseries looking back on the Jonestown Massacre on the 40th anniversary. Jim Jones died in the largest mass murder-suicide in history, at Jonestown, Guyana. SAN FRANCISCO –When Stanley Nelson set out to make a documentary on cult leader Jim Jones and the mass murder-suicide of his followers, his biggest challenge was unearthing enough new footage to make the 28-year-old story seem fresh again. Lew Jones and his son died at Jonestown. Sometimes these involved mock mass-suicides where followers, including children, lined up and drank liquid they were told was laced with poison, only to be told it was a test of loyalty. “We weren’t going for just the shock value of this story,” said Nelson, 54, of Oakland. “When you dig deep enough, it could be you or me. That is one reason why we can provide this service free of charge. Its goal is to present a balanced portrayal of the followers’ devotion to Jones and the temple, he said. Directed by stanley nelson. It doesn't matter if you were somebody who had a lawsuit against Jim Jones or somebody there the last day, we were survivors and we made it through," she says. It happened 42 years ago, but the mass suicide of 900 people at the Jonestown settlement in Guyana is an event that still freezes the blood. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. .css-14iz86j-BoldText{font-weight:bold;}Sunday 18 November is the 40th anniversary of the notorious Jonestown massacre where more than 900 people died at a settlement run by Christian cult leader Jim Jones. amzn_assoc_linkid = "0f84484859255704ef8899fa20fce1c4"; The passage of nearly three decades has made survivors more willing to talk. Laura returned to the US at the end of November 1978 and moved back into the People's Temple community in California - a decision that she says she had no qualms about. They had no recourse.". 2. In 1977, evangelical preacher Jim Jones fled the United States with nearly a thousand followers of his peoples temple cult. Some committed suicide. is a 2003 documentary film about the collision of art and commerce through the eyes of The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, focusing on the developing careers and the love-hate relationship of the bands' respective frontmen Courtney Taylor-Taylor and Anton Newcombe.It was shot over seven years and compiled from over 2,500 hours of footage. "He would say to them: 'you can't go back, you have no money', which was true. The politician was heading up an investigatory expedition to the compound after family members in the US expressed concern their loved ones were being held against their will. Other survivors might say differently, but for me, I was delighted. By 1970, when she joined the Peoples Temple in California aged 22, she had already been tear-gassed protesting against the Vietnam war, worked with the Black Panthers and attended the famous 1969 Woodstock festival. "There's no closure for Jonestown - it's not fixable," she says. "Jim Jones looked at zealots [like Laura - people who would speak positively about People's Temple] and stacked the deck in Georgetown for Congressman Ryan's visit," she says. By the end of that day, 918 men, women and children will die. Documentary , Documentary 2016 , Documentries , New documentaries , Best Documentary , National Geographic Documentary , BBC Documentary Watch: Why did more than 900 people die because of this man? In CQ Ro… The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana, established by the Peoples Temple, a San Francisco-based cult under the leadership of Jim Jones.. Laura lived at the main Jonestown site until October 1978. After initial resistance, the group were permitted access and given tours which presented a largely pleasant depiction of everyday life. “These things happen over and over again throughout the history of the world. 3. "I saw an absolutely fantastic community of all races, all backgrounds, all socio-economic levels and we did a masterful job creating this community for 1,000 people," she says. "Their bodies were left out in the open, in the middle of the rainforest, in a foreign country. Why did more than 900 people die because of this man? When Congressman Ryan visited with a delegation in November, he brought along concerned relatives of Temple members and journalists to document the trip. Krause, who survived the ambush and was the first journalist allowed on the scene of the massacre, said that even dogs and the Jonestown pet chimpanzee died alongside the residents. "It was the community I was looking for - I was looking for equality and justice, and there were people of all backgrounds and races," Laura says. "We were just all devastated. Storyville: Jonestown documentary on BBC4. I know we can make a difference, I saw it, and I don't give up.". I am still an activist now. It follows Jones from a disturbed childhood through the temple’s final days. Some examples may include self esteem, self presentation, attribution, attitude change, attraction, friendship, love, aggression, prejudice, conformity, compliance, and or obedience. Among the rare footage unearthed by Nelson are home videos showing the construction of the Jonestown compound and the video diaries of cult members. I can’t see a post about this documentary that’s been on BBC4 the last 2 nights. It was not an unhappy part of my life.". Free Member. Jim Jones died in the largest mass murder-suicide in history, at Jonestown, Guyana. I had lived with them for eight years, I knew them so intimately," she says. From the makers of Downton Abbey. Jonestown cult survivor recalls horrifying massacre. The remote Guyana outpost of cult leader Jim Jones' Peoples Temple, Jonestown … Doomsday Cults (2012) 'Hidden in America' is a fascinating documentary series that looks inside some of the most notorious... Bobby March 31, 2013. It has been reported that the documentary will feature interviews with Jones family members and people who were involved with the cult before the massacre. "The people of Peoples Temple were who I wanted to live my whole life with. Watch Documentary. He already died. "Jonestown: Life and Death of Peoples Temple" documentary is shown to pay tribute to those who died on November 18, 1978. "That gives me a lot of hope, it instils confidence that wonderful people can do wonderful things. Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple, is a 2006 documentary film made by Firelight Media, produced and directed by Stanley Nelson.The documentary reveals new footage of the incidents surrounding the Peoples Temple and its leader Jim Jones who led over 900 members of his religious group to a settlement in Guyana called Jonestown, where he orchestrated a mass suicide with … In 1978 over 900 people led by Rev. More were murdered. This documentary looks at the tragic death of 913 men, ... Jonestown was the informal name for the “Peoples Temple Agricultural Project”, an intentional community in northwestern Guyana formed by the Peoples Temple, a cult from California, United States, led by Jim Jones. We are all doing it right now.'". Very insightful. "All of us survivors show we can do it without Jim Jones, and he is not missed. "It said: 'Everybody in Jonestown is dying or dead. "I had no concerns about moving there. Both filmmakers said the time was right to re-examine the tragedy. © 2021 BBC. "We are one big dysfunctional family. Ahead of the anniversary, one survivor - Laura Johnston Kohl - spoke to the BBC about how she narrowly escaped death, and how she and others have rebuilt their lives in the decades since. The following is a thumbnail history of the Jonestown … Sociopolitical Documentary hosted by Shan Nicholson, published by BBC broadcasted as part of BBC Storyville series in 2020 - English narration [] Cover[] InformationOn 18th November 1978, over 900 men, women and children lost their lives at Jonestown, a remote settlement established by the People's Temple in northern Guyana. The Jonestown project quickly begins to implode. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; (Listed if other than Religion News Blog), This post was last updated: Monday, November 30, -0001 at 12:00 AM, Central European Time (CET), Religion News Blog is a service provided by, The term 'cult expert' is not protected.