In december of 2004, maria belon and her family were among the many who experienced firsthand one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the world when a tsunami overwhelmed large swaths of southeast asia including the coastal resort area of thailand where. Lo imposible is a englishlanguage spanish disaster drama film directed by j. What has saved her, she tells tim adams, is daring to remember and to. The tsunami itself, depicted using a mixture of miniatures and digital effects, is dramatically stunning, but this film is really about the human interest in the aftermath. A powerful story based on one familys survival of the 2004 indian ocean tsunami, the impossible stars naomi watts and ewan mcgregor and is directed by j. She was portrayed in the 2012 film the impossible by naomi. Sonali deraniyagala lost her husband, children and parents in the 2004 indian ocean tsunami, and was maddened with grief. Watts who is the reallife mother of two sons with actor liev schreiber was instantly attracted to the story, as she explained at the films recent junket. Miracle mum relives 2004 tsunami ordeal which inspired new. It is based on the experience of maria belon and her family in the. The closer the waves got to land, the more threateningtohumans they became. Holidaying in thailand at christmas, 2004, maria naomi watts, henry ewan mcgregor and their three boys are having an idyllic vacation.
With naomi watts, ewan mcgregor, tom holland, oaklee pendergast. His familys survival story inspired the 2012 film the impossible. Sanchez, producer belen atienza, and real life survivor maria belon. The noisy plane swooping over the ocean brings the belon family to. The impossible accurately portrays their experiences during and after the tsunami, switching out the nationality of the family to that of a british family and changing their names to maria and henry bennett. True story of the impossible miracle survival of family. Dec 15, 2017 she was petrified, alone and convinced she was dying but in a miracle that inspired the impossible, the mum and her family survived. As a result of that day, the two forged a connection. They are interested in the bennett family or in maria belons family, to be. The impossible is beautifully accurate, writes tsunami survivor film.
In thailand, the familys peaceful vacation aside the resort pool is disrupted by feeble tremors in the ground, only for the family to see the mass tsunami wave that strikes the resort with the. It was a great pressure and responsibility to get it right because of what she went through and how much she suffered, watts says of. Naomi watts shares a hilarious then and now of herself gardening amid coronavirus the actress said she started doing weight training to keep up. Jan 15, 20 we also talked about the post 24 hour false tsunami warnings. The family was cast into a lethal current swirling with fallen trees, debris and. Director juan antonio bayona follows up his criticallyacclaimed feature debut the orphanage with this drama set during the 2004 tsunami, and. Administration edit the khao lak region falls almost entirely within the khuk khak subdistrict tambon of the takua pa district. Even though its set during that horrific tragedy, its really the story of one familys really bad christmas vacation.
Maria belon naomi watts, her husband henry belon ewan mcgregor and their kids lucas, thomas and simon, are visiting thailand for their christmas vacation. Moments later the belonalvarez family was swept apart by the torrential force of the indian ocean tsunami of 2004. Like the experience of the family separated by the tsunami, the narrative is split between maria and lucas journey and henrys with the two younger boys, though the. Ewan mcgregor on recreating boxing day tsunami disaster the scottish actor describes the challenge of doing justice to the true life story of a familys struggle to. The impossible is based on the true story of the alvarez belon family. After i first saw the impossible i went onto my computer and researched this tsunami as well as others and then i really understood how devestating it really was. A familys survival of the 2004 tsunami has inspired spains highest grossing film, says padraic killeen. Dec 10, 20 the impossible accurately portrays their experiences during and after the tsunami, switching out the nationality of the family to that of a british family and changing their names to maria and henry bennett. Our parents were killed in the tsunami we survived but it pushed us to a. I cant begin to tell you what an honor and a privilege it was to be sitting across from maria belon, a spanish doctor who, along with her husband and three sons, miraculously survived the 2004 indian ocean tsunami.
Sonali deraniyagala lost her husband, two sons and parents to the indian ocean tsunami that claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people. Quique alvarez, his wife maria belon and their three young children were swept away by a massive wall of water as they lounged around the. Among the people who got swept up by the wave were the belon family, who were on holiday. We also talked about the post 24 hour false tsunami warnings. Bayona, who is known for horror film the orphanage. Jan 21, 20 moments later the belon alvarez family was swept apart by the torrential force of the indian ocean tsunami of 2004. Tsunami books has always been more than just an independent, locally owned bookstore. I realized that with the subject matter being the 2004 tsunami in southeast asia this. Maria belon alvarez was badly wounded as she was dragged under water by the vast indian ocean tsunami of boxing day 2004. A powerful story based on one family s survival of the 2004 indian ocean tsunami, the impossible stars naomi watts and ewan mcgregor and is directed by j. In us theaters this friday, the movie sheds light on one of the worst natural disasters of our time through the lens of the belon familya husband and wife, and their thr.
Dec 26, 2012 the impossible is based on the true story of the alvarez belon family. Jan 05, 20 maria belon alvarez was badly wounded as she was dragged under water by the vast indian ocean tsunami of boxing day 2004. However, their holiday is cut short on the morning of december 26, 2004, by the tsunami. The alvarezbelon familys story is moving, dramatic and true, and. The impossible submerges the true impact of the tsunami film the. The tsunami survivor who lost her whole family world. What a miraculous story of survival, courage, and family love. The story of a tourist family in thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 indian ocean tsunami. After the wave hit and swept her away from her family, she was able to. The impossible real life tsunami survivor maria belon. In thailand, the family s peaceful vacation aside the resort pool is disrupted by feeble tremors in the ground, only for the family to see the mass tsunami wave that strikes the resort with the. The impossible is not a film about the 2004 indian ocean tsunami.
Jan 31, 20 this is based on a true story of a spanish familys survival during the 2004 tsunami that killed 230,000 people in 14 countries. I hesitate to use this term, since it is so often equated with hokey, but the impossible is lifeaffirming. Although i havent seen the movie, the book addressed the chinese in. The noisy plane swooping over the ocean brings the belon family to thailand to. In december of 2004, maria belon and her family were among the many who experienced firsthand one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the world when a tsunami overwhelmed large swaths of southeast asia including the coastal resort area of thailand where belon and her family were spending the holidays. What started as a series of ripples became a series of waves moving ever nearer to the indianocean shoreline of many countries. This is based on a true story of a spanish familys survival during the 2004 tsunami that killed 230,000 people in 14 countries. Its a true story, based on maria belon and her family, vacationing from spain when the tsunami hit.
Her new memoir recounts the events of that fateful day. The impossible is beautifully accurate, writes tsunami. Spanishborn tomas alvarez belons life changed forever on 26 december 2004, when he was caught up in the tragedy of the indian ocean tsunami. Dec 20, 2012 like the experience of the family separated by the tsunami, the narrative is split between maria and lucas journey and henrys with the two younger boys, though the mother and son arc dominates. The family plans to spend a few days at a picturesque tropical paradise resort. I thank god that he was looking after each member of the belon family during their terrible ordeal. Mar 05, 20 sonali deraniyagala lost her husband, two sons and parents to the indian ocean tsunami that claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people. What makes the film even more compelling is that it is based on the true story of the belon family whom encountered the boxing day tsunami in 2006. This is how maria belon, the reallife heroine of the 2012 film the impossible, began her talk at ieses recent executive mba day belon defines herself as a normal person who had the luck to live an exceptional experience, in reference to the indian ocean earthquake and tsunami that struck the beach. Dec 21, 2012 a familys impossible journey of healing. The audience understands, however, that the first few.
It is adapted from the true story of the belon family from spain who were on holiday in thailand when the disaster struck. Based on a true story, the impossible is the unforgettable account of a family caught, with tens of thousands of strangers, in the mayhem of one of the worst natural. He is now a passionate campaigner for disaster risk. After the tsunami calmed down, belon was able to swim to land with. Its matriarch, maria, was onset during filming and proved a constant source of inspiration to the production. The impossible 2012 the impossible is based on a true story about a family that survives the 2004 tsunami that devastated thailand. It would take five years, but finally, they have brought the familys story to the screen.
Even though its set during that horrific tragedy, its really the story of one family s really bad christmas vacation. In thailand, it was peaceful, warm a nice day for a family vacation. She was petrified, alone and convinced she was dying but in a miracle that inspired the impossible, the mum and her family survived. Spanishborn tomas alvarez belon s life changed forever on 26 december 2004, when he was caught up in the tragedy of the indian ocean tsunami. In sri lanka, a wall of water washes 15 miles inland and destroys a train and the tracks as easily and quickly as if. Tsunami survivor maria belon reflects on the impossible. The impossible is technologically a marvelthe tsunami experience is harrowingly believablebut also emotionally rich.
The story behind the indian ocean tsunami warning system the kernel the daily dot by nithin coca on november 29, 2015 it took nearly three hours for the 2004 indian ocean tsunami, the deadliest natural disaster in human history, to travel from its epicenter near sumatra, indonesia, to the eastern coasts of india and sri lanka. Belon helped watts throughout the production and assisted with pivotal scenes in thailand after the family returned to the country for a set visit. The tsunami survivor who lost her whole family world news. I found it powerful and moving, and think it was brilliantly done. Naomi watts plays a tourist whose family is torn apart by a tsunami in the impossible. Maria belon and her family attend the premiere image. May 19, 2016 director juan antonio bayona follows up his criticallyacclaimed feature debut the orphanage with this drama set during the 2004 tsunami, and detailing one family s incredible fight for survival. The impossible is beautifully accurate, writes tsunami survivor. Christy grosz is editor of awardsline when the production team behind summits the impossible met with 2004 indian ocean tsunami survivor maria belon at a quiet coffee shop in barcelona in the. Bayonas the orphanage was amazing, and he has directed another great film in this one. The impossible 710 movie clip reunited 2012 hd youtube. A family offive whose miraculous survival in the boxing day tsunami has been turned into a hollywood film today relived their ordeal as their story prepares to hit the big screen.
Maria belon born may 12, 1966 is a spanish physician and motivational speaker, known for surviving the 2004 indian ocean earthquake and tsunami when she was on vacation in thailand with her husband enrique quique alvarez and three sons lucas, simon and tomas alvarez. Both for my then 16yearold self and the belon family, it was the thai people who waded through the settled water after the first wave had struck. Unfortunately, tsunamis do not stop once they hit the beach. My name is maria belon, and i, like all of you, have survived a tsunami. Definately worth watching and be sure to watch the special features at the end of the film.
Jan 04, 20 the impossible is beautifully accurate, writes tsunami survivor. Maria bennett naomi watts and her husband henry ewan mcgregor are expat brits living in japan when they decide to spend christmas at a beachfront resort in. Amazing true story of one familys survival during a tsunami in thailand. A tsunami was born, and it began traveling around 500 miles an hour. Belon has joined watts and the filmmakers at premieres. But she and her family survived and their incredible story has inspired.
She was severely injured in the tsunami and nearly died. Maria belon was intimately involved in the process of making the movie, choosing her favourite actress, naomi watts to portray her and. Other tsunami survivors have praised the accuracy of the movie too, so we can be reasonably satisfied that the representation of the disaster closely mirrors what happened. Based on the tragic events of boxing day 26th december 2004, the impossible tells the story of one familys terrifying experience of the tsunami which tore apart the lives of so many people. International tragedy through the lens of intimate family. When the tsunami subsides, the films dubious racial politics make an unwelcome. Dec 20, 2012 the impossible is technologically a marvelthe tsunami experience is harrowingly believablebut also emotionally rich. At least 510 times, false warnings would be spread via cell phones to other cell phones. The next day, after the tsunami had struck, there would be moments in which you would be working to help clear debris, and suddenly, locals around you would start to run. After the banda aceh quake in the indian ocean, the vacationing family rips apart as tsunami waves hit their phuket beach. As you may recall, this was the day that a giant tsunami hit southeast asia, devastating thailand and leaving death and destruction in its wake. Tsunami survivors impossible story hits the big screen bbc news.
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