Films Include Oscar And Emmy Winner Roger Ross Williams' THE APOLLO,Emmy Winner Susan Lacy's VERY RALPH;
Emmy Winners Fenton Bailey And Randy Barbato's LIBERTY: MOTHER OF EXILES;
And New Documentary Series MCMILLIONS From Executive Producer Mark Wahlberg
July 24, 2019
HBO has confirmed their slate of thought-provoking documentaries for the second half of 2019, including: Roger Ross Williams' THE APOLLO, an insider's look at the history and legacy of the legendary Apollo Theater; Susan Lacy's VERY RALPH, the intimate story of fashion icon Ralph Lauren; Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato and Diane von Furstenberg's LIBERTY: MOTHER OF EXILES, a revealing, up-close look at one of the most beloved icons in the world; and McMILLIONS, from executive producer Mark Wahlberg and directors James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, a documentary series chronicling the stranger-than-fiction story of how an ex-cop rigged McDonald's Monopoly game promotion for over a decade and stole millions.
Upcoming HBO documentaries include:
UNMASKING JIHADI JOHN: ANATOMY OF A TERRORIST (debuts July 31) In 1995, Mohammed Emwazi was a grade school student in London with a promising future ahead of him. By 2015, he was better known as Jihadi John, a masked, ISIS terrorist in Syria, notorious across the globe for broadcasting his brutal executions of Western hostages. The revealing documentary examines what propelled Emwazi's journey down a violent path, the points at which intelligence agencies were aware of his growing radicalization and attempted, unsuccessfully, to deter him, Emwazi's use of social media as an ISIS recruitment tool and launchpad to notoriety, harrowing first-hand accounts from his surviving hostages, and the collaboration between the world's leading intelligence agencies to track him down and bring him to justice. Directed by Anthony Wonke.
ALTERNATE ENDINGS: SIX NEW WAYS TO DIE IN AMERICA (Aug. 14) In 2018, for the first time, more Americans chose cremation than traditional funerals and burials. This film explores the changing attitudes, rituals and mechanics of death, including the ways it is recognized, and how the end of life is approached. Subjects include the choice to use medical assistance, unique celebrations of life and ways to honor loved ones as they die. Directed and produced by Emmy winner Matthew O'Neill and Perri Peltz.
IN THE SHADOW OF THE TOWERS: STUYVESANT HIGH ON 9/11 (Sept. 11) When the Twin Towers were attacked on September 11, 2001, students had just started their day at Stuyvesant High School, blocks away. Drawing on intimate access to eight student eyewitnesses, the documentary offers a unique perspective on this tragic day. Directed and produced by Emmy -winner Amy Schatz, the documentary weaves footage of the attack with compelling interviews with the students, who, as young teenagers, found themselves fleeing debris in the heart of the danger zone and faced with a harrowing journey home. Now adults, many from immigrant families, they speak with feeling about the backlash against minority communities that followed the attack and the deep friendships with classmates that got them through. A story about how it felt to be a young person at ground zero, the film explores the ways in which September 11th shaped these students' lives and continues to shape our world today.
BUZZ (Sept. 25) This revealing and personal documentary follows Pulitzer prize-winning reporter and author, Buzz Bissinger, as he experiences a sexual awakening while collaborating with Caitlyn Jenner on her tell-all memoir. A verit portrait of his transformative journey, the feature documentary is directed by his childhood friend Andrew Shea. As he works to perfect Jenner's book, Bissinger simultaneously examines his own heteronormative constraints, exploring previously uncharted sexual desires in ways that test his marriage, family and sense of self. Interweaving editing sessions between Bissinger and Jenner with personal insights into Bissingers sexual evolution from his family, BUZZ is a deeply personal film that explores the pursuit of true freedom of expression.
AXIOS (Oct.) The headline-generating documentary news series will continue with four more episodes this fall. Directed and produced by Emmy winner Matthew O'Neill and Perri Peltz, the series will continue to work with leading Axios journalists to highlight the week ahead in politics, business, and technology, and other big topics shaping the future. Co-founded in 2016 by Mike Allen, Jim VandeHei and Roy Schwartz, Axios is known for its news-making interviews, illuminating coverage and trustworthy insight delivered with smart brevity and a distinctly shareable format.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR (Oct.) Composed entirely of newspaper photographs, this documentary is acclaimed filmmaker and Emmy winner Alan Berliner's personal journey through 40 years of pictorial history culled from daily printed editions of the New York Times. Part musings of a self-described news junkie, part heartfelt elegy for the death of the printed newspaper in the digital age, the film is filled with observations, stories, opinions, humor, and idiosyncratic reflections on the news, good, bad and fake, past, present, and future.
LIBERTY: MOTHER OF EXILES (Oct. 24) From Emmy winners Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato and executive producer Diane von Furstenberg, this film explores the surprising past and the culturally relevant present of the iconic Statue of Liberty. The documentary follows the legendary fashion designer, godmother of the statue, in her quest to discover the little-known story of how French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi's dream became a reality, the challenges the statue has faced over the decades, and what Lady Liberty means to people around the world as a symbol of freedom and
