EXCLUSIVE: A story about a Fiji surf paradise gone wrong by David Kushner, the journalist behind A24’s Zola, is to be turned into a documentary.
Kushner has penned Paradise Lost for Vanity Fair and the story is now being adapted by Anchor Entertainment, the production company behind HBO’s Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall, and Vanity Fair Studios.
The story follows Navrin, Woody, and Jona – two Aussie surfer bros and their local partner – who thought they’d found their own little slice of paradise in Fiji. That was until the deep-pocketed Chinese developer set up shop next door and started digging up the reef offshore. Then a Silicon Valley-backed scientist who swears he can build the perfect surf break got involved and the whole place became a stopover for the pandemic-era megayacht set.
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The doc will be exec produced by Kushner, Ethan Goldman and Dan Baglio for Anchor Entertainment, Agnes Chu, Helen Estabrook, Sarah Amos and Lexy Altman for Vanity Fair Studios.
Kushner is also behind All Rise at eOne with Spike Lee directing and The Church of Living Dangerously with Christian Bale as well as UCP Audio podcast Alligator Candy. He is repped by The Gotham Group and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof & Fishman.
Anchor Entertainment is also behind Discovery+’s Rebel Hearts, MSNBC’s Model America, Magnolia’s The Lost Kitchen and Dan Rather documentary Rather.
It is Vanity Fair Studios’ latest project developed from its own IP following FX’s The Secrets of Hillsong and Max’s Breath of Fire docuseries.
Helen Estabrook, Global Head of Film & Television, Condé Nast Entertainment, said, “On its surface, this is a thrilling David vs. Goliath tale centered on a five-acre patch of coastline in Fiji. Thanks to David Kushner’s cinematic storytelling, we’re introduced to those whose livelihoods depend on that slice of shoreline and suddenly the stakes become much higher. It’s a classic Vanity Fair examination of power, and what’s possible when people have the courage to challenge it.”
Ethan Goldman, Founder and CEO, Anchor Entertainment, added, “Kushner’s investigative reporting presents a pressing urgency as it pertains to the complicated nature of global tourism. With this complex story we aim to present a multi-layered eco-thriller, all set within the visually stunning backdrop of Fiji’s pristine yet fragile natural beauty.”
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