or


[02/06/12 - 09:15 AM]
"Raising Renee," The Moving Story of One Woman's Efforts to Care for Her Mentally Disabled Sister, Debuts Feb. 22 on HBO2
The film is produced and directed by Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan (the Oscar(R)-nominated "Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern").

[via press release from HBO]

"RAISING RENEE," THE MOVING STORY OF ONE WOMAN'S EFFORTS TO CARE FOR HER MENTALLY DISABLED SISTER, DEBUTS FEB. 22 ON HBO2

Oscar(R) Nominees Steven Ascher And Jeanne Jordan Filmed Documentary Over Course Of Six Years

Painter Beverly McIver was enjoying a skyrocketing career when she promised her mother, Ethel, that she would take care of her mentally disabled sister, Renee. Years later, following Ethel's death, that promise came due.

Filmed over the course of six years, the compelling HBO2 documentary RAISING RENEE chronicles Beverly McIver's efforts to make good on her promise when it debuts WEDNESDAY, FEB. 22 (8:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO2. A testament to the power of family bonds, this thought-provoking film is produced and directed by Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan (the Oscar(R)-nominated "Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern").

Other HBO2 playdate: Feb. 25 (3:20 p.m.)

Marked by drama, humor and unexpected twists, RAISING RENEE begins in 2003, as Beverly McIver is savoring opening night of her first solo art show in New York, joined by her mother, Ethel, and mentally disabled sister, Renee, a 43-year-old who functions at the level of a third grader. When Ethel dies the next year, Beverly's pledge to care for Renee is put to the test.

Beverly grew up in a Greensboro, NC housing project with her sisters, Renee and Roni, and their mother, Ethel, who singlehandedly raised them while working as a maid for white families. Segregation in Greensboro was notorious: When Beverly was 17, an anti-KKK rally resulted in five people being shot dead by the Klan in front of the McIvers' home. Though most of her relatives stayed in the area, Beverly's talent led to fellowships in New York and a professorship at Arizona State University. The politics of race would inform her art, and she vowed never to live in the South again.

Renee had lived with Ethel her whole life, making colorful potholders and doing good deeds with her mother. After Ethel's death from cancer, Beverly moved Renee to Arizona to live with her. She was concerned that this added responsibility would end her life as an artist, but Renee was happy to be with her sister.

After a few years, Beverly decided she needed help caring for her sister, so she and Renee moved back to North Carolina, where she has been offered a position at North Carolina Central University, to be closer to their sister Roni and her family.

Though her sister seemed happy, Beverly worried that Renee was at home much more than when she lived with their mother. In fall 2009, shortly after Renee turned 50, an opportunity arose for her to live independently in an assisted-living apartment complex, something that was unthinkable when their mother was alive. Renee's astonishing response to this challenge at age 50 raises key questions about disability and ability.

Beverly McIver is currently the Suntrust Endowed Chair Professor of Art at North Carolina Central University. Her work is in the collections of the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro and the Baltimore Museum of Art, among other institutions, and has been reviewed in Art News, Art in America and the New York Times. Critic Irving Sandler has described McIver's art as a merger of "personal confession and social commentary, photography and painting, and realism and expressionism."

Husband and wife team Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan have been making documentary and fiction films for more than 20 years. Their feature documentaries include 1995's "Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern," which won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance, the Prix Italia, and Peabody and IDA awards, and received an Academy Award(R) nomination. Their documentary "So Much So Fast" premiered at Sundance and was broadcast worldwide.

RAISING RENEE was produced and directed by Jeanne Jordan & Steven Ascher; cinematography and sound, Steven Ascher; editing, Jeanne Jordan; music by Sheldon Mirowitz. For HBO: supervising producer, Lisa Heller; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.





  [february 2012]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
   


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[11/26/24 - 03:01 PM]
Video: New Games, New Stakes - "Squid Game" Season 2 Main Trailer and Key Art "Round and Round" Unveiled
With its premiere just around the corner on December 26, the trailer delivers an electrifying glimpse into the deadly games and gripping character dynamics that await fans worldwide.

[11/26/24 - 02:34 PM]
Video: Paramount+ with Showtime Debuts Official Trailer for Showtime's "Dexter: Original Sin"
The series premieres Friday, December 13 on streaming and on demand for Paramount+ subscribers with the Paramount+ with Showtime plan, before making its on-air US debut on Sunday, December 15 at 10pm ET/PT.

[11/26/24 - 01:15 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 in Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49 vs. CBS' "After Midnight" and NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers"
"Nightline" posted double-digit gains week to week across the board, hitting a 6-week high in overall viewers and 7-week highs in both key Adult demos.

[11/26/24 - 12:03 PM]
Netflix Top 10 Week of Nov. 18: "The Merry Gentlemen" and "A Man on the Inside" Take the Top Spots
Season 2 of the animated series "Arcane" laid siege to #2 (6.4M views), while Season 1 took #5 with 2.2M views.

[11/26/24 - 11:44 AM]
TNT Sports to Debut "Evolve and Flex" with Lance Fresh Friday, Dec. 6, on truTV and Max
The show is hosted by sports-lifestyle expert Lance Fresh and features candid conversations with guests to discuss how life's events have contributed to their sense of style.

[11/26/24 - 11:19 AM]
MGM+ Announces 2025 Premiere Date for "NFL Icons" Season Four
In the upcoming fourth season, the docuseries will feature Pro Football Hall of Famers Joe Montana, DeMarcus Ware, Kurt Warner and Gale Sayers.

[11/26/24 - 10:24 AM]
Video: "Rogue Heroes" (MGM+ 2025 Series) Season 2 Tease
"Rogue Heroes" is a dramatized account of how the world's greatest Special Forces unit, the SAS, was formed under extraordinary circumstances in the darkest days of World War Two.

[11/26/24 - 10:09 AM]
Video: Acorn TV Releases Official Trailer for Second Season of Hit Australian Drama, "Darby and Joan"
The new season debuts with a two-episode premiere, exclusively on Acorn TV, on December 30, followed by weekly episodes through January 27.

[11/26/24 - 10:01 AM]
ABC News Studios Announces Fourth Season of Hit True-Crime Series "Wild Crime," Streaming Dec. 5 Only on Hulu
"Wild Crime: Eleven Skulls" delves into the haunting 2012 disappearance of Samantha Koenig, an 18-year-old Anchorage barista last seen leaving her place of work with an unknown man on a dark winter night.

[11/26/24 - 08:32 AM]
Bravo Greenlights "Vanderpump Rules" Season 12 with a New Group of SUR-vers
In addition, "Vanderpump Rules" will celebrate the past decade of heartbreaks, friendship rifts and scandals with a retrospective special highlighting the past 11 seasons.

[11/26/24 - 08:30 AM]
Video: Paramount+ and Nickelodeon Reveal Teaser, First-Look Images and Premiere Date for "Henry Danger The Movie"
"Henry Danger The Movie" will be available to stream in the U.S. on Paramount+ Friday, January 17, and premiere on Nickelodeon that same day at 7 p.m. (ET/PT).

[11/26/24 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Makayla's Voice: A Letter to the World" - Official Teaser - Netflix
Makayla is a teenage girl who has spent her life grappling with a rare form of autism that rendered her essentially nonverbal until her parents, filled with unwavering belief in their daughter's potential, embarked on a transformative journey to discover the true depth of Makayla's inner world.

[11/26/24 - 08:01 AM]
HBO Announces Ian Bonhote & Peter Ettedgui's Award-Winning "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story," Debuting December 7 on HBO and Max
The critically acclaimed film had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and recently won six Critics Choice Documentary Awards.

[11/26/24 - 08:00 AM]
HGTV Greenlights Gutsy Las Vegas Renovation Series "Sin City Rehab" (wt) Starring Indomitable Designer Alison Victoria
The eight-episode series will document Alison, best known for her Emmy-nominated series "Windy City Rehab," taking the biggest gamble of her career as she expands her successful design business out West.

[11/26/24 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "The Manny" Season 2 - Release Date Announcement - Netflix
A busy executive hires a cowboy to care for her kids in a moment of panic. Little does she know he'll challenge her views of gender roles - and of love.