HBO Documentary Films Presents All-New Original Documentaries Every Monday Night this Summer, June 7 through Aug. 9

April 20, 2010

HBO Documentary Films heats up the summer with provocative and compelling films every Monday night, kicking off a new ten-week series MONDAY, JUNE 7 at 9:00 pm. (ET/PT). From a look into the life and lively career of Ron Galella, the original American paparazzo, to a bitter clash over abortion rights on a Florida street corner, to dancers who come together to learn the art of salsa in New York's Spanish Harlem, HBO documentaries take subscribers to worlds others rarely see. This year's summer series features the work of a wide a range of directors, from award winners such as Jon Alpert, Jeffrey Blitz, Leon Gast, Matthew O'Neill and Alexandra Pelosi, to first-time filmmaker Josh Fox.

Upcoming documentaries include (in chronological order):

SMASH HIS CAMERA (debuting June 7) profiles Ron Galella, the original American paparazzo, who took iconic photographs of such celebrities as Marlon Brando, Andy Warhol and Jackie Onassis, placing the legendary photographer at the center of the debate about the First Amendment versus the right to privacy. A 2010 Sundance Film Festival winner for Best Director, the film is directed by Leon Gast (the Oscar(R)-winning �When We Were Kings�).

FOR NEDA (June 14) remembers Neda Agha-Soltan, who became another tragic casualty of Iran's recent post-election protests on June 20, 2009. Unlike many unknown victims, however, she instantly became an international symbol of the struggle: Within hours of Agha-Soltan's death, cell phone photographs of her blood-stained face were held aloft by crowds protesting in Tehran and across the world. With exclusive access to her family inside Iran, the documentary goes to the heart of who Neda was and what she stood for, illuminating the larger Iranian struggle for democratic freedoms through her powerful story. Directed by Antony Thomas.

GASLAND (June 21) exposes the shocking potential repercussions of the recent boom in natural gas drilling, posing urgent questions about the little-known drilling process hydraulic fracturing and the industry that has managed to exempt itself from practically all environmental laws and regulations in a quest for �clean energy� and profits. The film won a Special Jury Prize in the U.S. Documentary competition at Sundance earlier this year. Directed by first-time filmmaker Josh Fox.

KEVORKIAN (June 28) is an intimate look at Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the controversial advocate of the right to die, ranging from his release after serving eight years in prison through his ill-fated run for Congress in 2008. Featuring interviews with family, friends, journalists, attorneys and Kevorkian himself, the film reveals that the polarizing person known as �Dr. Death� is a unique and complex renaissance man � a provocative painter, composer and quirky inventor � whose passion and knowledge continue to enlighten and sometimes enrage to this day. Directed by Matthew Galkin.

NO ONE DIES IN LILY DALE (July 5) visits the little Victorian-style village of Lily Dale, NY, just south of Buffalo, which is home to the world's largest community of mediums, who claim to be able to communicate with the dead. The film follows some of the thousands of people from all over the world who flock to the village every summer to have questions answered and grief assuaged, chronicling their extraordinary interactions with Lily Dale's unusual residents. Directed by Steven Cantor.

A SMALL ACT (July 12) follows Kenyan Chris Mburu on his journey to find the stranger who sponsored his childhood education. A United Nations human rights advocate, Mburu has dedicated his life to battling genocide and other crimes against humanity. In paying tribute to his �angel,� Swedish school teacher and holocaust survivor Hilde Back, Mburu must confront his own past and Kenya's future. A 2010 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection; directed by Jennifer Arnold; produced by Jennifer Arnold, Patti Lee and Jeffrey Soros.

LUCKY (July 19) crisscrosses the country to examine the lives of previous lottery winners and determined hopefuls, revealing the complications and unexpected consequences of new-found riches and shattering myths of the ultimate American Dream. Forced to cope with attorneys, hired security guards, changing friendships and scheming family members, winners must reconsider who they are and what they want from life in the wake of this life-changing event. Directed by Jeffrey Blitz.

HOMELESS: THE MOTEL KIDS OF ORANGE COUNTY (July 26) follows children living in California motels as their families struggle to survive in one of the wealthiest zip codes in America. The documentary chronicles a summer in the lives of a class of homeless kids who attend a year-round school serving the children of the working poor in Orange County. Directed and produced by Alexandra Pelosi.

12TH AND DELAWARE (Aug. 2) visits a street corner in Ft. Pierce, Fla. that is ground zero for the ferocious abortion-rights battle. On one side of the intersection stands A Women's World, an abortion clinic; across the street is the Pregnancy Care Center, a pro-life outpost dedicated to heading off would-be abortion seekers at the pass. With unprecedented access to both sites, the film provides an eye-opening look at the ideological trench warfare that takes place daily there. Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady.

EL ESPIRITU DE LA SALSA (Aug. 9) follows people from all over New York City � including an E.R. doctor from Battery Park, a construction contractor from Queens, an equities trader from Wall Street, a policeman from Midtown Manhattan and a chronic fatigue sufferer from Washington Heights � as they come together at Spanish Harlem's Santo Rico Dance School to let loose, dance and connect while learning the rich art of salsa. Under the tutelage of Tomas Guerrero, they have just six weeks to rehearse for a public performance. Filmmakers, Jon Alpert, Francisco Bello, Matthew O'Neill and Timothy Sternberg.