THE ULTIMATE STORY OF SURVIVAL AND RESILIENCE...

CHILEAN MINE RESCUE PREMIERES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13 AT 8 PM ET/PT ON SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL

One-Hour Special Premiering One Year To The Day Of the Remarkable Rescue Of 33 Trapped Miners Features Never-Before-Seen Footage And Interviews With The Miners

New York, September 26, 2011 - It was the agonizing fight for survival by thirty-three men that captivated the entire world. Underground, it is a story of starvation, despair and danger around every turn. Above ground, it is a race against time by an international team as they re-invent mine rescue in real time to get the men out. Told by those who lived through it, CHILEAN MINE RESCUE premieres Thursday, October 13 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Smithsonian Channel, one year to the day of the historical rescue of the 33 miners trapped under half a mile of rock at the San Jose, Chile mine.

During late summer of 2010, the world became riveted by a life and death drama that gripped the imagination and called upon astonishing feats of engineering science and human endurance. Since we began extracting minerals from the Earth, these types of subterranean ordeals have many times ended tragically. But, in this case, the story evolved in a way that was inspiring, and ultimately triumphant. CHILEAN MINE RESCUE goes behind the headlines to examine not just what happened during those 68 remarkable days, but how and why. Combining first person accounts, compelling footage of the trapped miners, 3-D animation and dramatic recreations, Smithsonian Channel tells the story behind the extraordinary rescue of "Los 33."

The miners were buried deeper, and would need to survive underground longer than in any previous rescue attempt. Only a handful of people in the entire world have the tools and skill to attempt an extraction of men entombed half a mile below the surface. Despite the odds, Chilean Minister of Mining Laurence Golbourne galvanized an international rescue effort, with teams from Australia, South Africa, and the United States, the cost of which was estimated at $20 million dollars.

Interviews show the families' joy at the miners' return, and the changes faced by men who are now - one year after the rescue - international celebrities.

The film was produced in conjunction with the exhibition "Against All Odds: Rescue at the Chilean Mine", on view at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History until May 2012.

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