Dead of Winter: The Donner Party

How far would you go to keep your family safe?

84 mins
What starts out as a voyage to the West in pursuit of the American Dream quickly turns deadly for the Donner party after a series of bad decisions and severe weather. Trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, this group of nearly 80 settlers fell prey to sub-zero temperatures, torrential rainfalls, extreme heat, and ten-foot snow drifts. Punishing storms trapped the party with nearly no food or shelter for 5 months in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Many died, some succumbed to cannibalism to survive, and others delved deeply into their faith while waiting to be rescued. “The Donner Party” explores this exciting journey through a hybrid of first-person narration, remarkable reenactments, expert interviews, CGI, and archival materials.

Darby Hinton

George Donner

Kim Lankford

Tamsen Donner

Darrin Miller

James Reed

Libby Baker

Margaret Reed

Danielle Shumard

Virginia Reed

David White

William Eddy

Kit Leonard Dennis

Patrick Breen

Bear Fuerst

Lewis Keseberg

Greg Webb

William Foster

Alex Barry

Patrick Dolan

Romi Williams

Patty Reed

Ryan Cole

Charles Stanton

Sean Kervin

Salvador

Calen John Neal

John Snyder

Elizabeth Austin

Commentator (Atmospheric Physicist)

Gabrielle Burton

Commentator (Author)

Ethan Rarick

Commentator (Author)

Frank X. Mullen

Commentator (Author)

Mark McLaughlin

Commentator (Author)

Creek Stewart

Commentator (Survival Expert)

Doug Glover

Director

Raymond Bridgers

Executive Producer

Lauren Frasca

Executive Producer

Adam Freeman

Executive Producer

Leslie Greif

Executive Producer

John C. Joseph

Executive Producer

Ben Kahn

Producer

Mayen Ma

Supervising Producer

Adam Reed

Executive Producer

Joanne Rubino

Production Executive

Erika Wadler

Development Manager

Clint Lealos

Cinematography

Narbeh Nazarian

Production Design

Bernadette Stewart

Set Decoration

Lauren Oppelt

Costume Design

Jennifer M. Quinteros

Makeup Department Head

Ayelet Bick

Production Manager

Sterling Frymer

Unit Production Manager

John Kalning

Production Supervisor

Ben Kahn

First Assistant Director

Josh Brandli

Second Assistant Director

Laurence A. Ellis

Supervising Sound Editor

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