Company type | Division |
---|---|
Industry | Film, cable television |
Headquarters | |
Key people |
|
Products | Films and miniseries |
Parent | Home Box Office, Inc. |
Website | www |
HBO Documentary Films is an American production and distribution company, a division of the cable television network HBO that produces non-fiction feature films and miniseries.
The division releases between 10 and 15 documentaries per year for the network and provides limited theatrical distribution of certain films prior to their initial broadcast on HBO's linear television and streaming services.
The unit's longtime chief was Sheila Nevins, who initially served as Director of Documentary Programming from 1979 to 1982; upon returning in 1986, she headed HBO's documentary unit under various executive capacities (as Vice President of Documentary Programming, as Senior [later, Executive] Vice President of Original Programming and, beginning in 2004, as President of HBO Documentary Films) and served as executive producer of most of its documentary productions until she left the network in March 2018. Under Nevins, HBO's documentaries have won 35 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, 42 Peabody Awards, and 26 Academy Awards as well as 31 individual Primetime Emmy Awards honored to Nevins. [1] [2] In December 2017, Nevins announced she would be stepping down from her position, with Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller set to replace her. [3] [4]
The network's first successful documentary was the six-part 1979 miniseries Time Was , a Dick Cavett-hosted retrospective that took a historical look at an individual decade in the 20th century—from the 1920s up to the 1970s—over the course of each episode. 1981's She's Nobody's Baby—produced in conjunction with Ms. magazine—traced the evolution of the societal role of American women during the 20th Century; the special earned HBO its first Peabody Award, the first to be won by a pay television service and the first of many HBO documentaries to receive the prestigious award. [5] [6] HBO also produced a series of informational documentaries in partnership with Consumer Reports starting in 1980, detailing information on subjects encompassing product safety, personal finance and health. [7] [8] One such documentary, AIDS: Everything You and Your Family Need to Know..But Were Afraid to Ask, which aired in 1987 at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S., was hosted by Surgeon General C. Everett Koop and provided factual information on the AIDS and HIV viruses. [7] [9]
In 2006, film director Spike Lee made a two-part four-hour documentary on Hurricane Katrina, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts . Also in 2006, documentary artist Lauren Greenfield directed Thin , a feature-length film about four young women struggling with eating disorders seeking treatment at the Renfrew Clinic in Florida. 2008 saw the U.S. television premiere of Baghdad High , which depicted the lives of four boys attending a high school in the Iraqi capital city over the course of one year, through a video diary filmed by the documentary's principal subjects who were provided cameras to film the project. [10]
In November 2008, HBO paid low seven figures for the U.S. television rights to the Amy Rice–Alicia Sams documentary By the People: The Election of Barack Obama . The film—which had a limited theatrical release in New York City and Los Angeles, and aired on HBO in November 2009—covered Obama's 2006 trip to Africa, his presidential primary campaign, the 2008 general election and his first Presidential inauguration. [11] In November 2012, HBO aired the four-part documentary, Witness, which devoted each part to one of four conflict regions—Juarez, Libya, South Sudan and Rio de Janeiro—as covered by a team of photojournalists based in those regions. [12] On March 28, 2013, the channel premiered the Alexandra Pelosi-directed Fall to Grace , about the infidelity scandal that led to the 2011 resignation of New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey and resulted in him coming out as gay. [13] [14] That same year, HBO produced and distributed Life According to Sam a documentary film based on the life of Sam Berns. [15] [16] [17]
In February 2015, HBO premiered a six-part documentary from Andrew Jarecki, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst , chronicling the mystery surrounding the New York real estate heir's alleged involvement in the unsolved 1982 disappearance of his wife, Kathie Durst; the 2000 execution-style killing of writer Susan Berman; and the 2001 death and dismemberment of Durst's neighbor, Morris Black. The miniseries gained broader exposure after Durst was arrested on first-degree murder charges in relation to Berman's death on March 14, 2015 (one day prior to the docuseries's finale). The evidence leading to his arrest included an envelope left by Berman after her murder and provided to the filmmakers for analysis by her stepson, Sareb Kaufman, with misspelled block letter handwriting matching an anonymous envelope sent to police in December 2000 to alert them to Berman's murder, and a rambling apparent confession by Durst—unaware that the microphone attached to him for his interview with Jarecki was still recording—to the murders of all three victims. [18] [19]
HBO has also produced recurring documentary series, among the earliest and most notable being America Undercover , a monthly one-hour series of topical documentaries covering subjects in an un-sensationalized manner. [20] [21] The America Undercover banner would go on to spawn two regular sub-series: Real Sex (a late night magazine-formatted series of specials that ran from 1992 to 2009, featuring frank explorations on a variety of mainstream and non-mainstream sexual matters [7] ) and Autopsy (a series of specials that aired between 1994 and 2008, in which forensic pathologist Dr. Michael Baden provides analysis on criminal, suspicious and health-related death cases). One of America Undercover's most notable specials was 1985's Soldiers in Hiding , focusing on homeless veterans of the Vietnam War living in the wilderness, which was the first Academy Award nomination for a cable television service in the Best Documentary category (although HBO has had some of its documentaries enter limited theatrical release to qualify for Oscar nominations in later years). [7] HBO is also noted for its Sports of the 20th Century documentary brand. One of its most notable documentaries from that series was Dare to Dream , a 2005 film about the U.S. Women's Soccer Team and the roles of Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Brandi Chastain, Joy Fawcett and Julie Foudy in the team's rise to prominence in sports.
Through a partnership with Vice Media, the network ran a monthly docuseries, Vice , featuring in-depth reports from host/creator/ Vice magazine co-founder Shane Smith and a team of correspondents investigating political and cultural topics and using an immersionist filmmaking style. Running for six seasons from April 2013 to December 2018, the show won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Informational Series or Special" in 2014. [22] Vice was cancelled on February 1, 2019, as part of a broader corporate reorganization at Vice Media; a companion daily news show, Vice News Tonight , was cancelled on June 10, 2019, when HBO announced it would be terminating its seven-year partnership with the company. (The Vice docuseries moved to Showtime and Vice News Tonight moved to Vice on TV in March 2020.) [23] [24] [25] [26]
In 2020, HBO premiered The Vow , a documentary series revolving around NXIVM directed by Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer. [27] [28] The series was renewed for a second and final season, which premiered in October 2022. [29]
In 2021, HBO premiered Allen v. Farrow , a documentary series examining the allegations made by Dylan Father against her father Woody Allen. [30] The first episode garnered over a million viewers, the most for an HBO documentary series since The Case Against Adnan Syed in 2019. [31] The series went on to earn several Primetime Emmy Award nominations. [32]
In 2022, HBO acquired television and streaming rights to All That Breathes directed by Shaunak Sen, and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed directed by Laura Poitras, both of which went on to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film. [33] [34] [35]
In 2023, HBO premiered Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York directed by Anthony Caronna, and executive produced by Liz Garbus, Dan Cogan and Charlize Theron. [36] Telemarketers directed by Adam Bhala Lough and Sam Lipman-Stern, executive produced by Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, David Gordon Green and Danny McBride, revolving around two employees set to expose the telemarketing industry, [37] Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God following Amy Carlson directed by Hannah Olson, [38] and Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning directed by Jason Hehir. [39]
In 2024, HBO premiered the second season of The Jinx, focusing on Robert Durst trial and the aftermath following the release of the first season, [40] Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. directed by Jamila Wignot focusing on Stax Records, [41] Ren Faire directed by Lance Oppenheim focusing on the Texas Renaissance Festival, [42] and Chimp Crazy directed by Eric Goode following Tonia Haddix, whose love for a chimpanzee spins into a wild game with authorities and the animal rights group PETA. [43] The series marked HBO's most watched documentary series in several years. [44]
That same year, HBO premiered the feature-length documentaries The Truth vs. Alex Jones , [45] MoviePass, MovieCrash , [46] Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes , [47] Faye , [48] Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery , [49] and Night is Not Eternal . [50]
Bad Robot is an American film and television production company founded on May 27, 1999, and led by Katie McGrath and J.J. Abrams as Co-CEO. Under its Bad Robot Productions division, the company is responsible for the television series Alias, Lost, Fringe, Person of Interest, Revolution, and Westworld alongside the feature-length films Cloverfield, Star Trek, Super 8, Star Trek Into Darkness, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Star Wars Episodes VII and IX, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Star Trek Beyond, The Cloverfield Paradox, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and Overlord.
World of Wonder Productions is an American production company founded in 1991 by filmmakers Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey. Based in Los Angeles, California, the company specializes in documentary television and film productions with a key focus on LGBTQ topics. Together, Barbato and Bailey have produced programming through World of Wonder for HBO, Bravo, HGTV, Showtime, BBC, Netflix, MTV and VH1, with credits including the Million Dollar Listing docuseries, RuPaul's Drag Race, and the documentary films The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000) and Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016).
Matt Reeves is an American filmmaker who first gained recognition for the WB drama series Felicity (1998–2002), which he co-created with J. J. Abrams. Reeves came to widespread attention for directing the hit monster-film Cloverfield (2008). He also directed the vampire drama Let Me In (2010), and the critically acclaimed science-fiction sequels Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). He directed the superhero film The Batman (2022), which stars Robert Pattinson as the title character.
Marc Smerling is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and director. He was nominated for an Oscar for Capturing the Friedmans in 2003, and co-wrote and produced The Jinx, a six-part HBO documentary on suspected murderer Robert Durst. He directed the FX docuseries A Wilderness of Error based on the book of the same name.
Storyteller TV Distribution Co., LLC, doing business as Amblin Television, is the television production division of Amblin Partners. It was established in 1984 by Amblin Entertainment as a small-screen production arm for Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories anthology series for NBC. The company has produced television series including Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, SeaQuest DSV, ER, Falling Skies, and The Americans.
Aaron Saidman is an American creator-developer, documentary filmmaker and television producer known for creating or serving as an executive producer on a number of non-fiction television series and documentary feature films, including Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, Curse of Von Dutch,Mind Field,Declassified: Untold Stories of American Spies, The Pitch,The Seven Five,Free Meek and Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer. Saidman is the President and co-founder of The Intellectual Property Corporation, which he created in 2016 with longtime producing partner Eli Holzman.
Karim Amer is an Egyptian-American film producer and director. He worked on The Square (2013) and The Great Hack (2019); the former was the first Egyptian film to earn an Academy Award nomination and went on to win three Emmy Awards, while the latter got nominated for an Emmy and a BAFTA Award. In 2020, he produced and directed The Vow, an HBO documentary series about the self-improvement group, NXIVM. In 2022, he produced and directed Flight/Risk for Amazon Studios, revolving around whistleblowers at Boeing.
Peacemaker is an American superhero television series created by James Gunn for the streaming service HBO Max, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The first season is the only DC Extended Universe (DCEU) television series and a spin-off from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. Set after the events of the film, it further explores jingoistic mercenary Christopher Smith / Peacemaker. It was produced by the Safran Company and Troll Court Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and with Gunn as showrunner. The second season is produced by DC Studios and set in the DC Universe (DCU), a "soft reboot" of the DCEU.
Artemis Rising Foundation is a nonprofit organization and film production and television production company, founded by Regina K. Scully.
Hannah Olson is an American documentary film director and producer. She is best known for her work on the HBO documentaries, Baby God, The Last Cruise, and Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God.
100 Foot Wave is an American documentary television series directed by Chris Smith, revolving around big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara as he traveled to Nazaré, Portugal with the goal of conquering a 100-foot wave. It premiered on HBO on July 18, 2021.
Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes is an American documentary television miniseries, directed and produced by Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey. It follows Ronan Farrow, as he conducts interviews with whistleblowers, victims, private investigators and sources for his book Catch and Kill. It consists of 6-episodes and premiered on July 12, 2021, on HBO.
Story Syndicate is an American film production and television production company founded in 2019 by Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan. The company primarily features documentary films and television series.
Berlanti Productions is an American film and television production company founded by screenwriter, producer and filmmaker Greg Berlanti and producer Mickey Liddell.
Alex Stapleton is an American director, showrunner, and executive producer of documentary feature films and unscripted television.
Concordia Studio is an American independent film production and television production company. The company has produced Boys State (2020), Time (2020), A Thousand Cuts (2020), Procession (2021), Swan Song (2021), Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (2023), and Rita (2024).
Jason Hehir is an American film director and producer. Hehir has directed André the Giant (2018), The Last Dance (2020), Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space (2021), and Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, and Reckoning (2023).
Inbal B. Lessner is a producer and film editor. She has served as producer and editor on Brave Miss World (2013), Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult (2020), and Escaping Twin Flames (2023).