Netflix film ‘shaped by the voices of Grenfell’s bereaved and survivors’

A new Netflix documentary will look at the chain of events leading up to the fire at Grenfell Tower and hear from the families and survivors impacted, its director has said.

With a working title of Grenfell, the 90-minute film comes from Rogan Productions, who have made a documentary about Nicola Bulley, who went missing while walking her dog in Lancashire, and the killing of Stephen Lawrence for the BBC.

Directed by Rio Ferdinand’s Tipping Point producer Olaide Sadiq, it aims to “painstakingly connect the long and disturbing chain of events that led to the disastrous” blaze, which killed 72 people in west London in 2017.

Sadiq said: “It’s vital to convey the significance of the investigative findings, but we are equally committed to highlighting that Grenfell was a home — a place of comfort and safety for the residents – that was sadly compromised to the extent where people’s right to safety was stripped away.

An inquiry into the blaze found that victims, bereaved and survivors were “badly failed”, a September report said.

The tower block was covered in combustible products because of the “systematic dishonesty” of firms that made and sold the cladding and insulation, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said.

Executive producer Soleta Rogan, managing director of Rogan Productions, said: “We are immensely proud of the production team that has worked tirelessly to bring as many elements of the systemic failures to light as possible, and we are incredibly grateful to those affected by the tragedy in their various ways for sharing their stories and experiences with us.”

The BBC has previously announced a three-part BBC drama series about Grenfell from director Peter Kosminsky, known for his TV adaptation of Wolf Hall and the Hollywood drama White Oleander.

In 2023, the National Theatre ran a play called Grenfell: In The Words Of Survivors, based on the first-hand account of survivors of the blaze.

The Netflix Grenfell film, also created by executive producers James Rogan and Sandy Smith, is set to be released this year, and was announced along with other upcoming 2025 projects from the streaming company.

Rogan Productions has made The Search For Nicola Bulley, and Stephen: The Murder That Changed A Nation documentaries for the BBC, along with Defiance: Fighting The Far-Right and Farage: The Man Who Made Brexit for Channel 4, and Zuckerberg: King Of The Metaverse for Sky.