or


[11/18/21 - 12:00 PM]
HBO Documentary "The Forever Prisoner" Debuts December 6
Alex Gibney's latest film tells the chilling story of Abu Zubaydah, the first high-value detainee subjected to the CIA's program of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EITs), later identified as torture by those outside the agency.

[via press release from HBO]

HBO Documentary THE FOREVER PRISONER Debuts December 6

From Academy Award(R)-Winning Filmmaker Alex Gibney, Film Is An Unflinching Look At How America's Torture Policy Began With CIA Captive Abu Zubaydah

HBO documentary THE FOREVER PRISONER, from acclaimed director Alex Gibney (HBO's "The Crime of the Century," "Agents of Chaos," "The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley"), tells the chilling story of Abu Zubaydah, the first high-value detainee subjected to the CIA's program of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EITs), later identified as torture by those outside the agency. Having never been charged with a crime or allowed to challenge his detention, Zubaydah remains imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay in Kafkaesque limbo, in direct contravention of America's own ideals of justice and due process. This gripping and suspenseful film debuts MONDAY, DECEMBER 6 (10:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

Twenty years on, THE FOREVER PRISONER reveals the origins of the clandestine operations that led the United States, in the "War on Terror," on a path of cruelty, deceit, and self-deception. With new revelations and a level of detail made possible by several lawsuits launched by Gibney and producer Ray Bonner against the CIA, captivating, first-hand accounts from the first two interrogators to question Abu Zubaydah, FBI agents Ali Soufan and Stephen Gaudin, and a shocking interview with CIA contractor James Mitchell, the chief architect of EITs, the film uncovers the incompetent and deceptive practices that the U.S. government followed in order to expedite and legalize EITs in the aftermath of 9/11. As a result, torture as a government policy was authorized by the United States for the first time in history.

With newly revelatory testimony from Ali Soufan - due to Gibney's lawsuit which forced the CIA to un-redact Soufan's book, "The Black Banners: How Torture Derailed the War on Terror after 9/11," and access to his never-before-seen interrogation notes about his time with Zubaydah - THE FOREVER PRISONER details how the Palestinian national, who was incorrectly characterized as a high-level al-Qaeda operative (he was in fact an independent facilitator), was subjected to horrific torture at the hands of CIA contractors, including 83 applications of waterboarding in one month alone. The film includes never-before-seen images of brutal treatment drawn by Zubaydah himself as well as powerful entries from his pre-capture and post-capture personal diaries.

Immediately after his capture in a firefight in Pakistan, Abu Zubaydah willingly gave up vital information - including details about impending plots and the identity of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed - in traditional interrogations by Soufan and Gaudin. Despite that cooperation, the CIA insisted on pursuing brutal techniques. The agency misled the Department of Justice about Zubaydah in order to be able to obtain legal approval for waterboarding and other techniques. Despite Zubaydah's plaintive entreaties that he was telling interrogators all he knew (he was) and despite graphic video evidence of the torture (supplied to the CIA in a "best-of" tape), former CIA director George Tenet and former director of CIA's Counterterrorism Center José Rodriguez, with the backing of the Department of Justice and CIA lawyers, encouraged the interrogations to continue.

THE FOREVER PRISONER reveals fascinating first-hand accounts from several high-level key players including former FBI agent and anti-terrorism expert Ali Soufan; former FBI agent Stephen Gaudin; psychologist and chief architect of the Enhanced Interrogation Techniques, Dr. James Elmer Mitchell; former Acting General Counsel of the CIA John Rizzo; brother of Abu Zubaydah Hesham Abu Zubaidah; lawyer to Abu Zubaydah, Joseph Margulies; military attorney for Abu Zubaydah, Lt. Col. Chantell Higgins, Col. Steven Kleinman, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell Lawrence Wilkerson; former General Counsel for the Navy Alberto J. Mora; and Chief Investigator for the Torture Report, Daniel Jones.

Continuing his work in uncovering institutional abuses of power at the highest levels, themes that he has explored in such films as HBO's "Agents of Chaos" and his Academy Award(R) winning film "Taxi to the Dark Side," among others, Gibney reveals shocking details about covert operations carried out in the name of national security. As noted in recent deliberations in the Supreme Court, Abu Zubaydah remains incarcerated at Guantánamo Bay with no recourse to a trial, no hope for release and no voice, leading THE FOREVER PRISONER to raise salient and provocative questions: Is Abu Zubaydah in Guantánamo because of what he did to us or what we did to him? In the shadow of the attacks on our democracy, has America abandoned the very principles it claims to be fighting for?

HBO Documentary Films' presents a Jigsaw Production THE FOREVER PRISONER directed by Alex Gibney; produced by Alex Gibney, Ray Bonner, Cathy Scott-Clark and Erin Edeiken; co-produced by Tess Ranahan; executive produced by Adrian Levy, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello; edited by Alexis Johnson. For HBO: senior producer, Tina Nguyen; executive producers, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller.





  [november 2021]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[04/03/25 - 02:00 PM]
Video: Trailer and Key Art for "Not Just A Goof" Available Now
Just in time for the 30th anniversary of "A Goofy Movie," this documentary follows a young creative team tackling their first Disney feature, facing disappointment upon release, only for the film to gain a passionate following decades later.

[04/03/25 - 12:06 PM]
Twelve Rebellious Chefs Are Set for Battle on NBC's Bold New Cooking Competition Series "Yes, Chef!" Hosted by Emmy-Award Winning Chefs Jose Andres and Martha Stewart
The series will premiere on Monday, April 28 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC following "The Voice."

[04/03/25 - 12:01 PM]
ABC Renews "9-1-1," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Rookie," "Shifting Gears" and "Will Trent" for 2025-26 Season
The network confirmed the pickups on social media this afternoon.

[04/03/25 - 12:00 PM]
CBS to Present MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) for the First Time, Airing Live Sunday, Sept. 7 from UBS Arena, and Streaming on Paramount+
The 2024 VMAs delivered its biggest multi-network audience in four years and ranked as the most social VMAs in show history, with 66.7 million social interactions.

[04/03/25 - 11:53 AM]
Awesomeness Aquires the Rights to "Racing Hearts," Highly Anticipated Debut Novel from Ann Adams
Set in the cinematic world of competitive rowing, "Racing Hearts" is a coming-of-age romance that follows Olympic hopeful Katherine Parker, who is sent home to Berkeley after another failed race to work with a new coach, Adrian.

[04/03/25 - 11:00 AM]
CBS Gives First Look at "The Equalizer" Spin-Off Featuring Titus Welliver and Juani Feliz
In the episode, airing April 20, McCall is contacted by Samantha Reed, whose father, ex-CIA agent Elijah Reed, is missing.

[04/03/25 - 10:07 AM]
NBC Celebrates the Life and Career of Joan Rivers with "Joan Rivers: A Dead Funny All-Star Tribute" Special Airing May 13 on NBC
To celebrate the decade since her passing, the comedy community will revisit Rivers' legendary cabinet of jokes and add their own personal spin to reflect today's social and cultural landscape, along with a dose of their original material.

[04/03/25 - 10:02 AM]
Date Announcement & First Look: Hulu Original Series "Nine Perfect Strangers" Season Two
Season two premieres on May 21, with two episodes at launch, followed by weekly releases on Hulu.

[04/03/25 - 10:01 AM]
Video: HBO Releases Official Trailer and Key Art for Season Two of the Original Comedy Series "The Rehearsal," from Nathan Fielder, Debuting April 20
In season two, the urgency of Fielder's project grows as he decides to put his resources toward an issue that affects us all.

[04/03/25 - 09:24 AM]
FOX Nation to Premiere "Rebound: A Year of Triumph and Tragedy at Yeshiva University Basketball" on April 9th
The documentary directed by Emmy award-winning filmmaker Pat Dimon spotlights Yeshiva University's basketball team, the Maccabees, as they navigate their season following the October 7th terrorist attacks on Israel.

[04/03/25 - 09:01 AM]
Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Back in Season 2 of "FUBAR" - Date Announcement, First Look & Key Art Debut
It's Arnold Schwarzenegger vs. Carrie-Anne Moss in season two, due on June 12.

[04/03/25 - 08:03 AM]
A Dilapidated French Chateau Gets a High-Stakes Fairytale Renovation in the New HGTV Series "Castle Impossible"
High school sweethearts and married couple, Daphne Reckert and Ian Figueira, will abandon their plans of living in a California tiny home when Daphne inherits her late grandfather's 500-year-old chateau on a 130-acre estate just outside of Paris, France, in the new HGTV series.

[04/03/25 - 08:01 AM]
Grief Has Never Been Funnier. Sarah Silverman Returns to Netflix with New Special, "PostMortem"
The special premieres only on Netflix on May 20.

[04/03/25 - 08:01 AM]
HBO Original Series "Like Water for Chocolate" Begins Filming Its Second Season
Based on the celebrated novel by Laura Esquivel, in its first season, the series became the most-watched Latin American content on Max globally and was among the top three most-watched series on the platform during its premiere month.

[04/03/25 - 07:01 AM]
New Season of "Phineas and Ferb" Returns June 5 on Disney Channel and June 6 on Disney+
A special sneak peek will debut on Monday, May 26, at 11:35 a.m. EDT/PDT on Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Channel YouTube.