HBO DOCUMENTARY FILMS TO RELEASE "THE CASE AGAINST 8" IN THEATERS JUNE 6

Film Won A 2014 Sundance Film Festival Directing Award And SXSW Audience Award

NEW YORK, March 21, 2014 - THE CASE AGAINST 8, directed by Ben Cotner and Ryan White, will be released in theaters Friday, June 6 by HBO Documentary Films and debut Monday, June 23 on HBO, coinciding with the first anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality. Following its June 6 platform theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles, the documentary will expand to select cities June 13. A crowd-pleaser on the festival circuit, THE CASE AGAINST 8 won the 2014 Sundance Film Festival Directing Award in the U.S. Documentary category and the SXSW Audience Award in the Festival Favorites category.

THE CASE AGAINST 8 takes a riveting inside look at the groundbreaking Supreme Court case that overturned Proposition 8, California's ban on same-sex marriage. Five years in the making, the film chronicles the struggle that changed history and paved the way for marriage equality battles nationwide. With exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the powerhouse legal team of conservative Ted Olson and liberal David Boies, who previously faced off as opposing counsel in Bush v. Gore, along with the four plaintiffs in the suit, the film provides a definitive account of the battle that effectively ended marriage discrimination in California.

"We feel it's important to bring the story of the men and women behind this roller-coaster battle to screens across the country, and we're extremely proud to bring attention to a fundamental civil rights issue that faces the country today," commented Sheila Nevins, president, HBO Documentary Films.

Today, 17 states and the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage, while 33 states have either constitutional bans or laws prohibiting marriage equality. Since Prop 8 was struck down on June 26, 2013, there have been more than 50 federal and state lawsuits challenging the bans all over the country.

An HBO Documentary Films release, THE CASE AGAINST 8 is directed and produced by Ben Cotner and Ryan White; editor, Kate Amend; associate editor, Helen Kearns; music by Blake Neely; co-producers, Rebekah Fergusson and Jessica Lawson; associate producer, Carin Bortz. For HBO: supervising producer, Sara Bernstein; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.