During the summer of 2008, HBO will air an excellent documentary every Monday night, between June 9 and August 25. Here's the list, with descriptions of each film and broadcast date.
'The Art of Failure: Chuck Connolly, Not For Sale' (2007)
The film is a study about Chuck Connolly, the artist who rose to fame during the 1980s and sold more than a million dollars worth of his art work, but in alienating art dealers and collectors so they would no longer work with him, he brought his promising career to a halt. Director Jeff Stimmel focuses on Connolly's artist's temperament. Broadcast July 7.'Baghdad High' (2007)
Directed by Ivan O'Mahoney and Laura Winter, this documentary was filmed by its subjects: four teenage high school students who spend the academic year trying to come to terms with their adolescence, survive in their war torn city and, along with their families, decide their future course of action--whether to stay in Baghdad or leave for safer regions. Broadcast August 4.
'The Black List' (2008)
Dramatic portraits of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sean Combs, Thelma Golden, Lou Gossett, Jr., Bill T. Jones, Vernon Jordan, Toni Morrison, Suzanne-Lori Parks, Richard Parsons, Chris Rock, Al Sharpton, Slash, Faye Wattleton, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Zane and other influential African-Americans, who speak candidly with journalist Elvis Mitchell about the struggles, triumphs and joys of black life in the U.S. The film is directed by celebrated photographer and filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. Broadcast August 25.'China's Stolen Children' (2007)
The boom in stolen children in China has resulted from the government's one-child policy, which makes it beneficial to have a boy. Approximately 70,000 boys are kidnapped each year, and sold. This film follows the parents of Chen Jie, a five year old, who was snatched from a market where his grandmother was selling vegetables, as they continue to try to find their son. It also presents cases where parents who don't have permits to have children are forced pay fines they cannot afford and, so, must sell their children to traffickers. Director Jezza Neumann. Broadcast July 14.'Ganja Queen' (2007)
Directed by Janine Hosking, this film tells the story of Schapelle Corby, a young Australian woman who finds herself in a life-and-death courtroom trial when she is accused of international drug trafficking after ten pounds of marijuana are found in one of her bags while she's vacationing in Bali. Like the narrative feature Midnight Express, this film is a sobering reminder of the risks travelers take when visiting countries with vastly different criminal justice systems and cultural mores. Broadcast June 30.'Hard Times At Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card' (2007)
Directed by Alan and Susan Raymond, the film follows students at a struggling Baltimore high school, examining the impact of the No Child Left Behind policy on a storied inner-city institution. In 1993, the Raymonds' HBO Special, I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School, won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Broadcast June 23.'Heidi Fleiss: The Would-Be Madam Of Crystal' (2008)
Directors Fenton Baily and Randy Barbato present a new and updated look at the "Hollywood Madam," a famously convicted felon who is now in Crystal, Nevada, trying to establish a legal brothel for female clients. Broadcast July 21.'The Recruiter' (2008)
Sergeant First Class Clay Usie, a leading Army recruiter, stirs Houma, Louisiana's young men and women to enlist by beginning to work with them several years before their eligibility. The film follows four of his recruits who enter boot camp--and realize the Army isn't what they were led to expect it would be. The situation is further complicated by the increasing number the Houma community's Iraq War casualties. Directed by Edet Belzberg. Broadcast July 28.'Resolved' (2008)
Enter the realm of high school debating, a fiercely competitive world in which rapid-fire speech, memorized arguments and cut-throat strategies rule the day. This is Spellbound with rapier wit and a machine gun tongues. But has the battle for the competitive edge killed the underlying fun and honor of this intellectual sport? Directed by Greg Whiteley. Broadcast June 16.'Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired' (2008)
The legendary director's reputation was destroyed following his conviction for unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Thirty years later, this documentary examines the complex, still-controversial Polanski case, debunking many assumptions about the case, raising questions about the effect that celebrity-obsessed public opinion had on it and challenging the behavior of the U.S. legal system. Winner of an editing award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, the film is directed by Marina Zenovich. Broadcast June 9.
'Thank You, Mr. President: Helen Thomas At The White House' (2008)
Rory Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, certainly knows her way around Washington, DC, and is familiar with its icons. Here, she profiles the legendary journalist who has covered the White House and every president to occupy it since John F. Kennedy, Rory Kennedy's uncle. Broadcast August 18.'We Are Together: The Children of Agape Choir' (2006)
Director Paul Taylor focuses on the story of 12-year-old Slindile Moya and her siblings--and the other residents of South Africa's Agape Orphanage, which houses children who've lost their parents to AIDS. Filmed over three years, the film chronicles the children's life-changing odyssey as they overcome hardship and loss through song. Broadcast August 11.
