Icon Films Producing World War II Survival Doc

BRISTOL: Icon Films has been commissioned by National Geographic Channels International, THIRTEEN and Channel 4 to produce The Airmen & The Headhunters, an hour-long documentary recounting a story of survival from World War II.

The Airmen & The Headhunters tells the story of U.S. bomber crew that was shot down over the jungles of Japanese-occupied Borneo. The doc tells about how the airmen were rescued by a tribe known for taking the heads of their enemies, which fed and protected them. Icon Films secured an exclusive interview with the sole surviving member of the U.S. crew, as well as a number of interviews with the tribes people and Japanese and Australian veterans.

The film is set to premiere on November 11 as part of the PBS series Secrets of the Dead, produced by THIRTEEN in association with WNET.org. 

Harry Marshall, the CEO of Icon Films, said: “You couldn’t have invented this story—young American airmen, plane crashes, blow pipes, an airstrip made out of bamboo, jungle, headhunters, mad Englishmen, Japanese soldiers and a daring escape. Icon is thrilled to bring this story to a wider audience.”

Director Mark Radice added: "It’s a rare opportunity to find an untold story from World War II that’s as exciting as this one. And despite the fact that these events all took place over 60 years ago, we’ve uncovered a number of eyewitnesses who met the airmen and helped them to survive in the jungle."

Sydney Suissa, the executive VP of content for NGCI, commented: “This is a fantastic stranger than fiction story of adventure and survival that audiences will find riveting."

Jared Lipworth, the executive producer of PBS series Secrets of the Dead, said: “When Harry brought me this story I knew instantly that I had to have it for Secrets of the Dead. Not only is it a spectacular, long-lost story of heroism, perseverance, and ingenuity, it also reveals a remarkable shift in perception for the downed airmen. The evolution of their impression of the Dayaks, from murderous savages to wise and caring saviours, is a lesson that I hope will resonate as much today as it did then."