Shadowland (2022)

The Atlantic’s groundbreaking and prescient editorial series Shadowland––which reported on the increasing hold that conspiracy theories have over Americans and the threats they pose to democracy––has inspired this documentary series.

The series––created by Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger and RadicalMedia, producers of this year’s Academy Award–winning Best Documentary Feature Summer of Soul––marks the first time The Atlantic has partnered with filmmakers to produce a docuseries inspired by its reporting and featuring its journalists.

Against the backdrop of the January 6 insurrection, former President Donald Trump’s perpetuation of the Big Lie of a stolen election, and a segment of the country’s continued COVID-19 and vaccine denial, Berlinger sent documentary teams across America to uncover how conspiracy theories have moved from the margins to the mainstream, and why they are more powerful and dangerous than ever. The deeply immersive series embeds with subjects who have rejected mainstream narratives to explore how people come to their beliefs, and what makes these theories so alluring. The resulting Shadowland episodes demonstrate the influence of conspiracy thinking on the functioning of our democracy, as families, friends, and the nation are being torn apart.