Channel 4 marks anniversaries of the 2014 MH-17 air crash, 2004 tsunami

Matt Frei reported on the MH17 plane crash

Channel 4 (C4) in the UK has acquired two documentaries from ITN Productions and Argonon-owned BriteSpark Films about two era-defining events from London-based content creation, funding and distribution specialist BossaNova Media.

ITN Productions’ one-hour special MH17: The Plane Crash that Shook the World will air on C4 this weekend to mark the 10th anniversary of the loss of Malaysian Airlines flight.

The programme features accounts of the tragedy from families and friends of victims, as well as a range of interviewees including, C4 news correspondent, Matt Frei, who reported on the ground at the crash site, Eduard Fesko, the interim Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, and Digna van Boetzelaer, the deputy chief public prosecutor in the Netherlands who prosecuted the case.

MH17 was shot out of the skies over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. In 2022, three former Russian agents were tried in absentia by a Dutch court and found guilty of the crime. However, the method and reason for their murderous action has been shrouded in disinformation, geo-political machinations and espionage.

BriteSpark Films’ Tsunami: The Day The Wave Hit (2×60′) is a minute-by-minute account of the deadliest natural disaster of the 21st century, which took place on December 26, 2004.

With powerful first-hand testimony and archive, some of it unseen, the series recounts the shocking stories that unfolded in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, which claimed nearly 230,000 lives across the nations of the Indian Ocean.

The deals were brokered by C4 acquisitions executive Felix Jones and BossaNova head of sales Holly Cowdery.

Cowdery said: “Both of these powerful documentaries mark events that have not only impacted on millions of lives but continue to resonate down the years and around the world.”