FARGO, ND – Prairie Public will premiere a new original documentary, Trapped in Paradise, on Thursday, December 12, at 7 p.m. The hour-long film will follow the dramatic experience of four nuns in the Solomon Islands during WWII.
Based on the journals of North Dakota-born Sister Hedda Jaeger, the documentary follows four nuns of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange who made the long voyage to the South Pacific in the fall of 1940. While doing missionary work in the Solomon Islands in 1941, the sisters were forced to hide in the deep jungles for several months following the invasion by Japanese naval forces.
Sister Hedda kept written records and reports of their missionary work – but following the events of Pearl Harbor, her journals transformed from logging daily life as missionaries to urgently fleeing danger.
“This is not only an incredible story of courage in the face of war, but about helping people in their time of need,” said producer and editor Andy Garske. “Sister Hedda’s journals give us a snapshot of the tumultuous time during the 1940s.”
Trapped in Paradise premieres on Thursday, December 12, at 7 p.m. on Prairie Public, YouTube, and the PBS app.
For more information on Trapped in Paradise, and to see historical photographs, visit prairiepublic.org/paradise.
###
About Prairie Public
Prairie Public, a nonprofit public media organization and member station of PBS and NPR, provides content and services utilizing television, radio, and digital platforms. Prairie Public is headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, and serves the state of North Dakota, northwestern Minnesota, and southern Manitoba. For more information, visit prairiepublic.org.