Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes Trailer: A Chilling Never Before Seen Look At One Of The World's Greatest Tragedies

On April 26, 1986, the core of the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat melted down, causing a nuclear accident that released airborne radioactive contamination for about nine days in what is still classified as the worst nuclear disaster in history, both in cost and casualties. Stories around the Chernobyl disaster have been told time and time again, most notably in the critically-acclaimed HBO limited series "Chernobyl." Now, HBO is returning with yet another Chernobyl project, but this time without the dramatization. As part of HBO Documentary films, Emmy-winning filmmaker James Jones ("Mosul") is debuting his film "Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes." Thirty-six years after the initial disaster, "Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes" presents recently uncovered archival footage and recorded interviews with those who were present during the disaster and subsequent fall out, as a means to show the reality of just how horrific the Chernobyl disaster actually was, and the deplorable lengths the Soviet government went in an attempt to cover up what really happened.

It's estimated that over 200,000 people died as a result of the Chernobyl disaster, but the official Soviet count lists it only as 31. The Soviet's mishandling of the crisis utilized misinformation and distortion tactics still used today, led citizens to greatly distrust authorities, and contributed to the end of the Soviet Union. According to the official press release, "Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes" is the "full, unvarnished true story of what happened in one of the least understood tragedies of the twentieth century."