HBO has dated several projects & releases:
New York, N.Y., October 16, 2018 – Relive director and executive producer Judd Apatow’s remarkable portrait of the exceptionally complex, deeply spiritual and endlessly funny comedy icon Garry Shandling, when the Emmy® Award-winning HBO documentary The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling comes to DVD and Digital Download on October 30, 2018. Both formats will include multiple bonus features including extended interviews with Jim Carrey and spiritual leader Ram Dass, EXCLUSIVE archival stand-up performances, a previously un-aired conversation with Jeff Goldblum, never-before-seen and extended conversation with Garry and Jerry Seinfeld, as well as a tribute performance of “Dear Mind” by Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) and Judd Apatow, live from the Bonnaroo festival in 2016.
“I am so excited for this release because we found so much amazing footage and we finally have the opportunity with these DVD Extras to show the world even more comedic treasures from Garry’s life and career,” said Apatow.
From a ten-year-old Garry losing his big brother Barry to cystic fibrosis at age 13 in 1960, to a chance encounter with comic legend George Carlin and an impulsive, post-college move to Los Angeles in 1976, Shandling’s unlikely path toward commercial success consistently remained at odds with his own personal search for inner peace, throughout The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling. “An important document, revealing more about Shandling than we could have possibly guessed,” (San Francisco Chronicle)Diaries spans the decades from Shandling’s early childhood in the 1950s in Arizona up to his untimely death in 2016, taking viewers on an intimate journey through a collage of personal testimonials, archival footage and most importantly Shandling’s own handwritten words on life, loss, love, meditation and more, captured in an extensive library of personal notebooks.
The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling also offers an extensive examination of Shandling’s stand-up career and landmark HBO® comedy series “The Larry Sanders Show,” revealing a fascinating dichotomy between comedic brilliance and personal demons, which Shandling harnessed to create some of the greatest television comedy ever made. As seen throughout the documentary and accompanying bonus features, Shandling emerged later in life as a powerful teacher, friend, and guiding spirit for a new generation of talent, becoming a mentor to some of today’s biggest names in entertainment.
Epic in scope and intimate in detail, this “fascinating window into one of comedy’s most fertile minds” (CNN.com), features four-and-a-half hours of footage delving into the personal and professional life of the beloved comedian and longtime mentor to Judd Apatow, along with extensive conversations with Shandling’s own family, friends and fellow comedians including Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Jay Leno, Sacha Baron Cohen, Sarah Silverman, Jon Favreau, James L. Brooks, David Coulier, Kevin Nealon, Conan O’Brien, Bob Saget and more. The documentary also includes four decades’ worth of TV appearances, along with personal journals, private letters and candid home audio and video footage that reveal his brilliant mind and restless soul.
Since 2001, 2.77 million U.S. service members have been deployed to support American war efforts. Approximately 14 to 20% of veterans who engaged in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan experience PTSD, while 32.4% of female veterans report having experienced military sexual trauma.
WE ARE NOT DONE YET profiles a group of veterans and active-duty service members as they come together to combat past and current traumas through the written word, sharing their experiences in a United Service Organizations (USO) writing workshop at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Directed by Sareen Hairabedian and produced by actor Jeffrey Wright (Emmy® winner for HBO’s “Angels in America,” two-time Emmy® nominee for HBO’s “Westworld”) and David Holbrooke (HBO’s “The Diplomat”), this powerful short film debuts THURSDAY, NOV. 8 (8:00-8:40 p.m. ET/PT), in conjunction with Veterans Day (Nov. 11), exclusively on HBO.
The documentary will also be available on HBO On Demand, HBO NOW, HBO GO and partners’ streaming platforms.
With support and guidance from Wright and poet Seema Reza, the members of the group come together to combat trauma by emphasizing perseverance and community, telling often-hidden truths about their experiences serving their country.
The We Are Not Done Yet project evolved from writing workshops led by Reza, chair of Community Building Art Works, a charitable organization that develops arts programs for veterans and their communities. The participants, who come from varied backgrounds and branches of the military, including the Army, Air Force, Marines and Navy, share their fears, vulnerabilities and victories via poetry, which becomes a process for bonding, empowerment and healing. As the film vividly shows, the written, visual and performing arts can be valuable tools in the healing process.
In workshop sessions and rehearsals, men and women confront the best and the worst of their lives in the military, opening up about ongoing struggles with PTSD (born not only from combat but also from sexual assault), including the resultant challenges of readjusting to civilian life. Each veteran and active-duty service member brings unique experiences and hardships to the stage, but they find common understanding and hope through the difficult work of addressing their pasts.
Intent on overcoming the sexual assault she experienced in the Army, April decided to participate in the workshop as a result of her journey towards spiritual growth, self-healing and reflection. A.V. views the military as both a blessing and a curse, and uses art and poetry to help him cope with his PTSD.
Joe, a former Marine and single parent of an autistic son, struggles with depression, suicidal thoughts and crippling guilt. He is now a visual artist, emphasizing how important painting has been in processing his trauma. Valerie, a former Air Force mental health technician and sexual assault survivor grappling with intense PTSD, now creates symbolic artwork that highlights sexual assault in the armed forces.
The documentary culminates in an emotional performance of the group’s collaborative poem, “We Are Not Done Yet,” at Washington, D.C.’s Lansburgh Theatre.
Despite the benefits to veterans, programs like this are currently facing censorship, budgetary constraints and even dismantling. Wright notes that soldiers are saluted at football games, but feels society should also highlight “stories of the effects of war on human beings who take up the call.”
He became involved in the project in 2016 after working with Theater of War, an organization that confronts social issues by conducting dramatic readings of Greek classics, drawing out raw and personal reactions to themes of the plays. This experience, combined with a visit to a Sierra Leone war zone while filming a movie in Mozambique, gave him a greater appreciation of the consequences of war and the effects of PTSD. Looking to be more involved, Wright was introduced to Reza and Community Building Art Works, eventually coming on board to direct the veterans in the stage production of their collaborative poems.
WE ARE NOT DONE YET is directed by Sareen Hairabedian; produced by Jeffrey Wright, David Holbrooke; edited by Abhay Sofsky; co-produced by Patti Bonnet; music by Wytold. For HBO: executive producer, Nancy Abraham.
Dwayne Johnson is back as Spencer Strasmore in one of HBO®’s highest rated comedies, Ballers®: The Complete Fourth Season, available for Digital Download on November 5th. Exploring the glamorous, and often cutthroat world of pro football, the fourth season features new guest stars including Russell Brand (Get Him to the Greek), Tony Hawk, Joy Bryant (Parenthood), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), Grace Zabriskie (Big Love) and more.
In Ballers: The Complete Fourth Season, Spencer (Johnson) and Joe Krutel (Rob Corddry) are back at it, and this time the unstoppable duo are bringing the hustle to Los Angeles to expand their empire. Meanwhile, Ricky (John David Washington) eyes a comeback while chafing at his new life as a father; Charles (Omar Benson Miller) faces the challenges of being a general manager; Vernon (Donovan Carter) continues his profligate ways, to the chagrin of his sidekick, Reggie (London Brown); and Jason (Troy Garity) tries to set Spencer up with a high-school prodigy, Quincy Crawford, and his equally impressive mother, Jayda (Bryant).
Ballers: The Complete Fourth Season is executive produced by Stephen Levinson, Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Peter Berg (State of Play), Rob Weiss, Denis Biggs, Karyn McCarthy, Julian Farino.
Paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Gerhard Richter sell at auction for tens of millions of dollars. A solid gold toilet by Maurizio Cattelan is installed in the Guggenheim Museum for all to see and use. Today, art is spectacle, big bucks and front-page news.
Can the value of art really be measured in dollars and cents? Directed by Nathaniel Kahn (the Oscar®-nominated “My Architect”), THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING takes a deep dive into the contemporary art world, examining the role of art and artistic passion in today’s money-driven, consumer-based society, and spotlighting collectors, dealers, auctioneers and a rich range of artists. Currently playing in select theaters nationwide, the provocative documentary debuts MONDAY, NOV. 12 (8:00-9:40 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO.
The film will also be available on HBO On Demand, HBO NOW, HBO GO and partners’ streaming platforms.
Society has become less concerned with the aesthetic and social values of art, and more concerned with brand names and the business of it all. Many feel art has become a pawn of the ultra rich — an exclusive investment class with perks and loopholes out of reach of the average citizen. High-end art fairs are springing up all over the world, while collectors flip works at auction and squirrel away their trophies in high-security warehouses.
Featuring current market darlings George Condo, Gerhard Richter, Jeff Koons, Njideka Akunyili Crosby and Marilyn Minter, along with one-time art star Larry Poons, THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING exposes deep contradictions as it holds a mirror up to contemporary values and times, coaxing out the dynamics at play in pricing, which is often driven by subjective notions.
With unprecedented access to artists, dealers, collectors and the fabled auction house Sotheby’s, THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING demystifies the rarefied world of contemporary art, going deep into a hidden realm where nothing is what it seems. Revealing scenes and interviews show how the art market actually works and underscore the challenges of being an artist today, when success can come at lightning speed, only to evaporate next season, and even the most revered creators must block out the market to retain control of the creative process.
In addition to artists, experts offering insights into today’s art world include: collectors Stefan Edlis, Gael Neeson, Inga Rubenstein and Holly Peterson; art historians Alexander Nemerov and Barbara Rose; auctioneer Simon de Pury; art dealers Mary Boone, Jeffrey Deitch, Gavin Brown andMargaret Lee; curators Paul Schimmel and Connie Butler; and auction-house executives Amy Cappellazzo and Ed Dolman.
The documentary was an official selection at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and AFI DOCS. Varietycalled it “brilliant and captivating,” with POV magazine stating, “Nathaniel Kahn’s film beautifully navigates subjects as heady as the nature of art itself.”
HBO Documentary Films, Hot & Sunny Productions and Anthos Media, in association with Artemis Rising and Film Manufacturers, Inc. present THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING; directed by Nathaniel Kahn; produced by Jennifer Blei Stockman and Debi Wisch for Hot & Sunny Productions and Carla Solomon for Anthos Media; edited by Sabine Krayenbühl, with additional editing by Brad Fuller and Phillip Schopper; director of photography, Bob Richman; music by Jeff Beal; executive producers, Jane & Mark Wilf, Audrey & Zygi Wilf, Regina K. Scully, Katharina Otto-Bernstein and Jeffrey Pechter.For HBO Documentary Films: executive producers, Sara Bernstein and Nancy Abraham.
The hit political podcast POD SAVE AMERICA continues with the third of its series of four HBO specials this FRIDAY, OCT. 26 (11:00 p.m.-midnight ET/ PT) in Philadelphia, followed by another special Nov. 2 from Irvine, Cal. Pennsylvania Democratic congressional candidate Chrissy Houlahan will be a guest on this Friday’s show. Funny and informative, POD SAVE AMERICA is taped the same day in front of a live audience; previous editions originated from Miami (Oct. 12) and Austin (Oct. 19).
Each week’s show is also available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and partners’ streaming platforms on the Saturday morning following its Friday-night debut.
POD SAVE AMERICA is hosted by Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor, former aides to President Obama, who break down the week’s events and help Americans figure out what matters and how to make a difference in these turbulent political times. After a brief recap of up-to-the-moment political news, each edition features a pre-taped field piece highlighting a local issue, followed by a discussion with hosts, their co-host and guests, who include local and national politicians, journalists and activists.
The twice-weekly podcast “Pod Save America,” which is also hosted by Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor, has been downloaded more than 310 million times since launching in Jan. 2017.
The HBO specials are executive produced by Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor, Ravi Nandan and Josh Lieb.
When the most important friend in her life seems to have disappeared without a trace, Elena Greco, a now-elderly woman immersed in a house full of books, turns on her computer and starts writing the story of their friendship. She met Raffaella Cerullo, whom she has always called Lila, in the first year of primary school in 1950. Set in a dangerous and fascinating Naples, their story goes on to cover more than 60 years of their lives as she tries to describe the mystery of Lila, Elena’s brilliant friend and – in a way – both her best friend and her worst enemy.
The eight-episode HBO, RAI FICTION and TIMVISION drama series MY BRILLIANT FRIEND debuts SUNDAY, NOV. 18 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), with the second episode debuting MONDAY, NOV. 19 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT), followed by other episodes subsequent Sundays and Mondays at the same time.
Based on Elena Ferrante’s bestselling book of the same name, which is the first of her four-part series published in the U.S. by Europa Editions, MY BRILLIANT FRIEND was filmed in Italian and stars newcomers Elisa Del Genio and Ludovica Nasti as the younger versions of Elena and Lila, while Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace portray teenage versions of the characters. The show is directed by Saverio Costanzo (“Private,” “The Solitude of Prime Numbers,” “Hungry Hearts”).
The series will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and partners’ streaming platforms.
Casting for the show took place over a period of eight months, with more than 8,000 children and 500 adults from the Campania region of Southern Italy auditioning. The casting process included professional and non-professional actors, as well as students recruited from local schools. In total, MY BRILLIANT FRIEND includes a cast of more than 150 actors and 5,000 extras.
The production’s construction team of 150 crew members created 215,000 square feet of sets, which were built over 100 days. To recreate the neighborhood, the symbolic location of the story, they built 14 exterior apartment buildings, five interior sets of apartments, a church and a tunnel. The costume department gathered 1,500 costumes, many of which were original creations. MY BRILLIANT FRIEND wrapped production in Caserta, Italy, earlier this year.
November’s episodes:
Episode #1: “The Dolls”
Debut: SUNDAY, NOV. 18 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
The disappearance of her old friend, Lila Cerrullo, causes 60-year-old author Elena Greco (Elisabetta De Palo) to reflect on the early days of their friendship in 1950s Naples, when Elena (Elisa Del Genio) and Lila (Ludovica Nasti) are two very different girls at the top of their class. When the girls discover the underground lair of Don Achille (Antonio Pennarella), a criminal figure who controls the neighborhood, they decide to confront him, facing their fears together and laying the cornerstone of a lasting friendship and rivalry.
Written by Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo; directed by Saverio Costanzo.
Episode #2: “The Money”
Debut: MONDAY, NOV. 19 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
As fourth grade draws to an end, Elena (Elisa Del Genio) and Lila (Ludovica Nasti) fight with their families for the chance to continue their education. Later, a trip out of town becomes a day Elena will never forget, and a death changes things in the neighborhood forever.
Written by Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo; directed by Saverio Costanzo.
Episode #3: “The Metamorphosis”
Debut: SUNDAY, NOV. 25 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Now a teenager, Elena (Margherita Mazzucco) grapples with the onset of puberty, her studies and her friendship with Lila (Gaia Girace), who now works in her family’s shoe-repair store. After a library awards ceremony reveals what Lila has been keeping secret, Elena learns what her friend’s grand plans might be. As the girls’ encounters with the opposite sex become more frequent, Lila takes a stand against the dangerous Solara brothers (Elvis Esposito, Alessio Gallo).
Written by Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo; directed by Saverio Costanzo.
Episode #4: “Dissolving Margins”
Debut: MONDAY, NOV. 26 (9:00-10:00 p.m.)
Entering high school, Elena (Margherita Mazzucco) vows to stay ahead of Lila (Gaia Girace), academically and romantically. Lila eschews a parade of suitors vying for her affection, choosing instead to focus on her ambitions in the shoe shop. Promising a better future for the neighborhood, Stefano Carracci (Giovanni Amura) invites Elena, Lila and their families over for New Year’s Eve. Things escalate quickly during a fireworks faceoff with the Solaras (Elvis Esposito, Alessio Gallo), leading Lila to see a new side of her brother Rino (Gennaro De Stefano).
Written by Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo; directed by Saverio Costanzo.
MY BRILLIANT FRIEND is an HBO-RAI Fiction and TIMVISION series, based on the bestselling novel “My Brilliant Friend,” the first of the quadrilogy by Elena Ferrante published in the U.S. by Europa Editions; a Wildside-Fandango Production; produced by Lorenzo Mieli and Mario Gianani for Wildside and by Domenico Procacci for Fandango, in collaboration with RAI Fiction, TIMVISION and HBO Entertainment and in co-production with Umedia. All episodes are directed by Saverio Costanzo. The story and screenplays are by Elena Ferrante, Francesco Piccolo, Laura Paolucci and Saverio Costanzo. Paolo Sorrentino and Jennifer Schuur are the executive producers. Fremantle is the international distributor in association with RAI Com.
Before his hit comedy series “Crashing” kicks off its third season next year, an HBO favorite headlines his second stand-up special on the network when PETE HOLMES: DIRTY CLEAN debuts SATURDAY, DEC. 15 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT).
The special will also be available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and partners’ streaming platforms.
Taping next month at the Aladdin Theatre in Portland, Ore., his latest comedy hour finds Holmes confronting personal truths about the mechanisms of consciousness, Michael Jackson, the afterlife and Elon Musk, as well as sharing a few thoughts on being a new dad. The exclusive presentation will be directed by Marcus Raboy, who also directed his first HBO special, 2016’s “Pete Holmes: Faces and Sounds.”
Holmes is co-creator and star of the critically acclaimed HBO comedy series “Crashing,” which is co-executive produced by Judd Apatow and Judah Miller. The show draws on his own experiences as a comedian, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the world of stand-up comedy in New York City.
He also hosts the popular podcast “You Made It Weird,” which has featured such guests as Larry Charles, Garry Shandling, Zach Galifianakis, Sarah Silverman, Norman Lear, Deepak Chopra and Tig Notaro, among many others, and previously hosted the cable program “The Pete Holmes Show.” In addition, Holmes has appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “Conan” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” as well as starring in two other cable comedy specials, and has voiced characters for “American Dad,” “Ugly Americans” and HBO’s “Animals.” He has also animated several cartoons for theNew Yorker magazine.
PETE HOLMES: DIRTY CLEAN is executive produced by Pete Holmes, Dave Rath, Neal Marshall, Marcus Raboy; produced by Oren Brimer and Rhonda Freeson; directed by Marcus Raboy; written by Pete Holmes.
