HBO UNVEILS DOCUMENTARY LINEUP FOR SECOND HALF OF 2011
Presentations Include
SING YOUR SONG, PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY And
Martin Scorsese's LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD: GEORGE HARRISON
LOS ANGELES, July 28, 2011 - HBO Documentary Films has scheduled a compelling array of timely and thought-provoking films to debut on HBO in the coming months. Highlights include SING YOUR SONG, a profile of singer-actor-activist Harry Belafonte, Martin Scorsese's LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD: GEORGE HARRISON and PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY, a new look at the controversial "West Memphis Three" murder case.
Upcoming HBO documentaries include (in chronological order):
THE LATINO LIST (debuting Sept. 29) focuses on an impressive group of Latino artists and leaders as they pose for a series of highly personal video portraits that offer a unique glimpse into the vibrant and burgeoning culture of Hispanic America. Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (HBO's "The Black List"), the film spotlights, among others, Cuban-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Puerto Rican-Americans, Honduran-Americans and Columbian-Americans, all of whom share a language, but have varying experiences depending on their birth country. The film features interviews with such notables as Sonia Maria Sotomayor, Eva Jacqueline Longoria, Gloria Estefan, America Ferrera, Juan Antonio "Chi-Chi" Rodriguez, Jose Moreno Hernandez and Pitbull.
LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD: GEORGE HARRISON (Oct. 5 and 6) traces Harrison's life from his musical beginnings in Liverpool through his life as a musician, a seeker, a philanthropist and a filmmaker, weaving together interviews with Harrison and his closest friends, performances, home movies and photographs. Much of the material in the film has never been seen or heard before. This two-part documentary from director Martin Scorsese (HBO "Public Speaking") includes interviews with those closest to Harrison, including Eric Clapton, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, George Martin, Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, Tom Petty, Phil Spector, Ringo Starr and Jackie Stewart.
SING YOUR SONG (Oct. 17) celebrates the life of singer-actor-activist Harry Belafonte. A tenacious hands-on activist, Belafonte's groundbreaking career paralleled the American civil rights movement. He worked intimately with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy among others, mobilizing celebrities for social justice, working with Nelson Mandela in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa and taking action to counter gang violence, promote prison reform and address the incarceration of youth. This official selection of the Sundance, Berlin and Tribeca film festivals is a film by Susanne Rostock; producers, Michael Cohl, Belafonte's daughter Gina Belafonte, Jim Brown, William Eigen, Julius R. Nasso.
THE EDUCATION OF DEE DEE RICKS (Oct. 27) is the intimate story of one woman's mission to defeat cancer and help others do the same. After being diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing a double mastectomy, Dee Dee Ricks traded a hedge-fund career for philanthropy, raising money for a Harlem cancer clinic that treats underserved and uninsured patients. The film follows Ricks over a three-year period as she battles her disease, struggles to raise $2.5 million for the clinic and reevaluates her purpose in life. Directed by Perri Peltz.
PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY (Nov.) revisits the case of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, who were incarcerated for the 1993 "West Memphis Three" child murders, which they maintain they did not commit. For nearly two decades, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky have chronicled the fight to prove their innocence. From full courtroom access and jailhouse interviews to behind-the-scenes strategy meetings and intimate portraits of grief-stricken families, this third, comprehensive look at the case uncovers shocking new developments since the last film ten years ago. Directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky.
MARATHON BOY (Dec.) is the story of four-year-old Budhia Singh, who is plucked from the slums of India by coach Biranchi Das and trained to become India's greatest runner. In the first six months of coaching, the youngster runs more than 24 half-marathons and by the next year, he has run 48 full marathons. With the world looking on and an international storm brewing, the Indian government decides to intervene, accusing the coach of cruelty and threatening to take his newly-adopted son into care. What starts as a rags-to-riches tale turns into a story of greed, envy and broken dreams. An official selection of the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, the documentary is directed by Gemma Atwal.
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