Steve Buscemi’s New Documentary Goes Inside a Life-or-Death Rescue in New First Look

Every day, emergency medical services personnel save countless lives when disaster strikes. Now, a new documentary produced by Steve Buscemi, a former firefighter himself, is taking a close look at the day-to-day lives of these unsung heroes. Collider is proud to exclusively present a new preview clip from Into the Unknown, which will be released on digital platforms next month.

Into the Unknown was directed by Tom Putnam, who previously helmed the firefighting documentary Burn and its sequel, Detroit Burning. It was given unprecedented access to the lives of a number of paramedics in several jurisdictions over the course of a year; the resulting footage was then compiled into a remarkable documentary film. The movie features Dr. Richard Carmona, Pat Coyle, Heather Edwards, Nicole Jagers, Niki Johnson, Anthony Judkins, Anne Kellogg, Trevor Oakley, John Tinsley, and Jenn Vazquez, EMS personnel from Santa Barbara, California; Sparks, Nevada; Denver, Colorado; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Crozet, Virginia.

In the clip, we see a harrowing rescue in process: a medical evacuation, via helicopter, from an offshore oil platform off the coast of California. After we see the stricken patient carefully hoisted into the aircraft, the clip cuts to an interview with a Santa Barbara air medic, who notes a key difference in working an air ambulance versus a conventional one; even a speeding ambulance may take 20 minutes to reach its destination, while a helicopter can get there in less than five, giving the paramedic less time to work on the patient. For more fascinating looks at the day-to-day lives of these life-savers, you can watch Into the Unknown when it hits digital platforms on December 4, courtesy of Monkey Wrench Films

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Who Are the Producers of 'Into the Unknown'?

Before breaking out as an actor, Buscemi worked as a firefighter in New York City for four years; after the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, Buscemi temporarily rejoined his old company to assist in the search and rescue operation. He has also frequently advocated for firefighters and was named an honorary FDNY battalion chief in 2014. In addition to Buscemi, the documentary is also produced by Kevin Tighe and Randolph Mantooth, who starred in the 1970s action series Emergency! A predecessor to shows like 9-1-1, Emergency! followed a crew of California paramedics at a time when the concept of emergency medical services in their current form was a reasonably new idea. The series is credited with raising awareness of paramedics and helping to spread EMS across the country.