Cameras are rolling on a new documentary exploring the Chernobyl nuclear disaster 20 years ago, a special that unites a trio of coproduction partners in the US and France.

To finance the two-hour film, global broadcaster Discovery Networks International has teamed up with Paris-based production company Play Film and pubcaster France 3.

"Two decades later, the Chernobyl tragedy still continues to have profound consequences for Ukraine and eastern Europe, and is just as relevant today as it was 20 years ago," said Rebecca Batties, senior VP of creative development and brand management at DNI.

Drawing on personal and eyewitness accounts, including those from ex-Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev, plus CGI and archive material, the show will document the events of April 2, 1986, and their environmental aftermath.

The photographic record of Igor Kostin will also be incorporated into the film, which is directed by Thomas Johnson and produced by Play Film's Hind Saih and Robert Curran for Discovery.

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