or


[02/11/09 - 10:46 AM]
Academy Award(R) and Recent Golden Globe(R) Award Winner Anna Paquin Stars in "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler," a New "Hallmark Hall of Fame" Presentation to Be Broadcast Sunday, April 19 on the CBS Television Network
Marcia Gay Harden, Nathaniel Parker and Goran Visnjic also star in the project, which is based on the courageous true story of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Irena Sendler.

[via press release from CBS]

ACADEMY AWARD(R) AND RECENT GOLDEN GLOBE(R) AWARD WINNER ANNA PAQUIN STARS IN "THE COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRENA SENDLER," A NEW "HALLMARK HALL OF FAME" PRESENTATION TO BE BROADCAST SUNDAY, APRIL 19 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Based on the Courageous True Story of 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Irena Sendler, Who Is Credited with Saving the Lives of 2,500 Jewish Children during World War II

Academy Award� Winner and Nominee Marcia Gay Harden ("Pollock," "Mystic River"), Nathaniel Parker ("The Inspector Lynley Mysteries") and Goran Visnjic ("ER") Also Star

Academy Award� and Golden Globe� Award winner Anna Paquin ("The Piano," "True Blood") stars in THE COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRENA SENDLER, a new "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation to be broadcast Sunday, April 19 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. The drama is based on the courageous true story of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Irena Sendler (Paquin), who is credited with saving the lives of 2,500 Jewish children during World War II. Academy Award� winner and nominee Marcia Gay Harden ("Pollock," "Mystic River"), Nathaniel Parker ("The Inspector Lynley Mysteries") and Goran Visnjic ("ER") also star. Harden plays Sendler's mother, Janina, and Parker portrays Dr. Majkowski, the head of Warsaw's Department of Health who helped Sendler obtain important resources for her mission. Visnjic plays Stefan, a former university friend of Sendler who was Jewish and with whom she fell in love when she started her clandestine work in the Warsaw ghetto.

As a Polish Catholic social worker in the early 1940s, Irena Sendler created and led a conspiracy of women who moved in and out of Warsaw's Jewish Ghetto disguised as nurses employed by Warsaw's Health Department. Though they worked under the guise of merely attempting to prevent and contain the spread of Typhus and Spotted Fever, Sendler and her brave cohorts emerged each time with the children of consenting Jewish parents. The children were sometimes sedated and hidden inside boxes, suitcases and coffins as a means of rescuing them from their imminent deportation to death camps. They were given new identities and placed with Polish families and in convents. Sendler kept a hidden record of their birth names and where they were placed with the hope that they would some day be reunited with their own families.

In 1943, the Nazis discovered Sendler's daring and dangerous ruse and arrested her. She was tortured by Gestapo agents and suffered broken feet. On the day of her scheduled execution she was rescued by "Zegota," the underground network with which she worked to save the Jewish children.

As a result of Sendler's efforts, approximately 2,500 children were smuggled to safety. Not a single child she rescued was ever betrayed or discovered by the Nazis.

The movie is based on the authorized biography of the heroine, Mother of the Children of the Holocaust: The Irena Sendler Story, by Anna Mieszkowska, published in 2005.

In 2007 Sendler was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. That same year, Hallmark Hall of Fame acquired exclusive movie rights to the book and negotiated life-rights with Sendler and her family members. Sendler died on May 12, 2008 at the age of 98.

Anna Paquin won an Academy Award� for Best Supporting Actress at age 11 for her role in "The Piano." Her additional film credits include her recurring role as Rogue in "X-Men" and its two sequels, as well as roles in "The Squid and the Whale," "25th Hour," "Buffalo Soldiers," "Finding Forester," "Almost Famous," "Hurlyburly," "She's All That," "A Walk on the Moon," "Amistad," "All the Rage," "Fly Away Home," Franco Zeffirelli's "Jane Eyre" and "Blue State." Paquin's television credits include a lead role in the series "True Blood," for which she recently won a Golden Globe� Award, and an Emmy� nominated role in the movie "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee." Among her theater credits are her stage debut in "The Glory of Living" at New York's MCC Theater, for which she received a Drama Desk nomination as Best Lead Actress. She was also in the first West End production of "This Is Our Youth."

Marcia Gay Harden won an Academy Award� as Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Pollock." Among her additional film credits are "Mystic River," for which she earned an Academy Award� nomination, "Miller's Crossing," "The First Wives Club," "Meet Joe Black," "Mona Lisa Smile," "The Hoax," "Into the Wild," "American Gun" and "Used People." Harden's television credits include her current lead role in the series "Damages," a lead role in the Network series "The Education of Max Bickford," an Emmy� nominated guest-starring role on "Law & Order: SVU," a role as Ava Gardner in the CBS mini-series "Sinatra" and a role in the "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation "In From the Night," also on the Network. Her theater credits include "Angels in America," for which she earned a Tony Award� nomination and won the Drama Desk Award.

Nathaniel Parker's television credits include the title role in the BBC series "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries," which has had a 23 episode run between 2002 and 2007, the title role in the mini-series "David" and a starring role in the BBC mini-series "Bleak House." Among his film credits are "Hamlet," "The Bodyguard," "Stardust," "Beverly Hills Ninja," "The Haunted Mansion," "Flawless" and "War Requiem." Parker joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1986 and appeared in several of their productions, including "Richard II" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Subsequent West End stage credits include David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow" as well as a recent U.K. touring production of Simon Gray's "Quartermaine's Terms."

Goran Visnjic is well-known for his role as Dr. Luka Kovac on the series "ER." He also starred in the mini-series "Spartacus." His film credits include "Elektra," "The Deep End," "Committed," "Practical Magic," "Welcome to Sarajevo" and "Rounders." His upcoming films include "Helen," which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, and the anthology film "New York, I Love You."

THE COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRENA SENDLER is a Hallmark Hall of Fame production. Brent Shields ("Hallmark Hall of Fame" productions "Front of the Class" and "The Russell Girl") and Jeff Most ("The Specialist") are executive producers. John Kent Harrison ("Hallmark Hall of Fame" productions "The Water Is Wide" and "What the Deaf Man Heard") is the writer/director.





  [february 2009]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S


· BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE (HBO)
· COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRENA SENDLER, THE (CBS)
· DAMAGES (AUDIENCE)
· EDUCATION OF MAX BICKFORD, THE (CBS)
· ER (NBC)
· FRONT OF THE CLASS (CBS)
· IN FROM THE NIGHT (CBS)
· LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT (NBC)
· RUSSELL GIRL, THE (CBS)
· SPARTACUS (USA)
· TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
· WATER IS WIDE (CBS)





[07/10/25 - 12:01 PM]
"Virgin River" Is Returning for Season 8
"On behalf of myself and the whole 'Virgin River' family, we're eternally grateful to Netflix and to the fans for allowing us to continue on this journey with these beloved characters," said showrunner Patrick Sean Smith.

[07/10/25 - 12:00 PM]
ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One" Schedule Update: New York Mets to Visit San Francisco Giants on July 27
Karl Ravech will call the action with analyst Eduardo Pérez, analyst and five-time World Series Champion David Cone and reporter Buster Olney.

[07/10/25 - 11:04 AM]
Paris Berelc to Co-Star and Executive Produce Upcoming Tubi Original YA Romantic Comedy Film "Kissing Is the Easy Part"
Fawzia Mirza (The Queen of my Dreams) is set to direct the film, which is based on the popular Wattpad webnovel (currently at 31.9 million reads) of the same name by Christine Duann adapted by Rebecca Webb.

[07/10/25 - 10:30 AM]
HBO Orders Untitled American History Sketch Comedy Starring and Executive Produced by Larry David and Higher Ground
President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America's 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion. ...But then Larry David called.

[07/10/25 - 10:10 AM]
Apple's Acclaimed Sci-Fi Series "Murderbot" Lands Season Two Renewal
The season one finale of "Murderbot" premieres globally this Friday, July 11.

[07/10/25 - 10:06 AM]
AMC Networks Returns to Comic-Con International with Dynamic Lineup of Fan-Favorite Series Panels, Screenings, A Shudder Fan Activation & More
Panels include a return to Hall H for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, featuring an exclusive first-look at the official trailer from the third season, premiering Sunday, September 7 on AMC and AMC+.

[07/10/25 - 10:01 AM]
Video: "Marc Maron: Panicked" - Official Trailer - HBO Max
He's mining for gold in a river of panic.

[07/10/25 - 09:55 AM]
"The Great Food Truck Race" Hosted by Tyler Florence Returns with New Roster of Competitors and Epic Culinary Challenges
The new season premieres Sunday, August 3 at 9pm ET/PT and streams next day on HBO Max.

[07/10/25 - 09:39 AM]
Peacock Announces September 4 Premiere Date for "The Paper"
The series premieres on Peacock with four episodes on September 4, followed by two new episodes every Thursday through September 25.

[07/10/25 - 09:34 AM]
MGM+ Unveils "Let The Devil In" Premiere Date
Premiering August 31, the four-episode documentary series is about a decades-old tragedy that destroyed one family and ignited the darkest fears of a small New Jersey town.

[07/10/25 - 09:01 AM]
Prime Video Adds Broadcast Veterans to NBA on Prime Game Coverage Lineup
The broadcast team includes award-winning play-by-play announcers Ian Eagle, Kevin Harlan, Michael Grady and Eric Collins.

[07/10/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Starz Releases Key Art and Trailer for Timeless Romantic Drama "Outlander: Blood of My Blood," Premiering Friday, August 8
From the battlefields of World War I to the rugged Highlands of 18th century Scotland, two fated couples must defy the forces that seek to tear them apart, intersecting in surprising and unforeseen ways.

[07/10/25 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Prime Video Releases Trailer and Key Art for Season Two of "Sausage Party: Foodtopia"
All eight episodes of the animated comedy will be served all at once in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on Prime Video August 13.

[07/10/25 - 08:13 AM]
Star Designer Bobby Berk to Host Newly Greenlit HGTV Series "Junk or Jackpot?" (wt) Produced by John Cena
Executive produced by actor, wrestler and entrepreneur John Cena, the six-episode season follows collectors as they discover the true monetary value of their massive and unusual collections.

[07/10/25 - 08:03 AM]
Video: Hulu's "King of the Hill" Debuts Season 14 Trailer and Key Art
After years working a propane job in Saudi Arabia to earn their retirement nest egg, Hank and Peggy Hill return to a changed Arlen, Texas to reconnect with old friends Dale, Boomhauer and Bill.