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Trevor Noah[/caption]
Breaking Big, a 12-episode documentary series, exploring the unexpected journey to success of some of the world’s most influential artists, innovators, political leaders, athletes, authors and entrepreneurs will premiere Friday, June 15, 2018, 8:30-9:00 p.m. ET on PBS stations nationwide.
Hosted by Carlos Watson, an Emmy(R) Award-winning journalist and co-founder and CEO of OZY.com, Breaking Big explores the twists and turns on the road to thriving careers for some notable figures in various fields. The series of 30-minute documentary films traces the unusual paths followed by 12 talented men and women – from country music superstar Jason Aldean and former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson to Oscar-winning director Lee Daniels and chef and restaurateur Eddie Huang – who overcame nearly insurmountable obstacles and long odds to reach and reimagine their own potential and, ultimately, to break big.
The series will include analysis from eminent social scientists, marketing experts, film critics, book editors and others to help viewers understand the risk-taking and bold moves these journeys require.
Breaking Big kicks off on June 15 with “Daily Show” star and comedian Trevor Noah as the first guest and subject. The 12 celebrities and influencers profiled in the series, in broadcast order, include:
Trevor Noah – Host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central
Eddie Huang – Chef and restaurateur, author of Fresh Off the Boat
Danai Gurira – Actress and Award Winning Playwright (Black Panther, Walking Dead)
Jason Aldean – Country music superstar
Ruth Zukerman – Co-founder of SoulCycle and Flywheel
Christian Siriano – Fashion designer
Roxane Gay – Author and cultural critic
Michael Strahan – Host of “Good Morning, America” and former NFL star
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand – U.S. Senator, New York
Lee Daniels – Academy Award-winning director, Precious and Fox series “Empire”
Gretchen Carlson – Former Fox News anchor and Miss America
Carmen Yulín Cruz – Mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico
“PBS is known as the home for compelling stories that engage and inspire,” said Marie Nelson, Vice President of News and Independent Film for PBS. “We know audiences will love Breaking Big, a series that offers a compelling look at the many roads to success, pulling back the curtain on the public figures and entertainers we admire to reveal our shared humanity.”
“The paths leading up to a game-changing career are varied and rarely without setbacks and lucky breaks,” said Carlos Watson, the host of the series and co-founder and CEO of OZY.com. “The series will explore the various roads to and definitions of success, examine the qualities of people who have achieved mastery in their field and, we hope, serve as inspiration to the next generation hoping to ‘break big.'”
Photo Credit: Comedy Central
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“Vianey” is an intensely personal documentary portrait about the life and hardships of the New Jersey and Bronx based underground hip hop artist Vianey Otero, also known by the stage name So Icey Trap. The U.S. West Coast Premiere of the film will be held at the Mammoth Lakes Film Festival in Mammoth Lakes, CA, on Fri May 25th.
The film reveals the raw reality behind growing up on the streets, the lure of escorting, everyday life in jail, and being a female artist in the music industry. Visually, the film takes the viewer on a meditative journey through the important locations of Vianey’s life.
“Vianey” is an unlfiltered coming-of-age story, and also a story about the struggles of the low-income working class in modern day America. When rent is due, the body becomes a commodity.
Marko Vuorinen, the director of “Vianey”, is a Helsinki-based and internationally awarded documentarian, artist and writer. Vuorinen works in the borderland between film and visual arts. He approaches filmmaking as a form of contemporary art.
Mammoth Lakes Film Festival showcases the work of emerging, innovative filmmakers. Our past juries have included Andrew Lazar (Producer of AMERICAN SNIPER), Allison Amon (Producer of THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES), and John Feidler (Producer of SERIAL MOM and PECKER).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPnecaZq5ws
HBO has set the debut date for and confirmed the title – John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls – of the previously announced documentary about Senator John Sidney McCain, III. Produced and directed by six-time Emmy(R) winner Peter Kunhardt, along with Emmy(R) winners George Kunhardt and Teddy Kunhardt, the film is described as an illuminating, exclusive profile of one of the most influential forces in modern American politics.
John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls will debut this Memorial Day, MONDAY, MAY 28 (8:00-9:45 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO.
Following more than 31 years of public service, the six-term senior Arizona senator agreed to participate in the film shortly after being diagnosed with brain cancer, providing unprecedented access to his daily life in Washington, D.C. and Sedona, Arizona. The film features interviews with family, friends, colleagues and leading political figures such as former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Senator Joe Lieberman and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Mesmerized at 12 years old by Ernest Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” Sen. McCain has used the book as a guide for his life. This sweeping account draws on his own voice, culled from original interviews, commentary and speeches, archival newsreel and television footage, and previously unseen home movies and photographs. Recounting everything from his years spent as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War to running for president, the documentary paints an important portrait of an American maverick who has never lost courage and has kept his eye on America’s most important goals.
John McCain’s life is a story of triumph, defeat and resilience? – ?Six decades of, in his words, “imperfect service to my country,” in which the mistakes he made were redeemed by the risks he took and the sacrifices he made for the county he loves.
“I think all of us think about death, but I think more about life,” says Sen. McCain. “There are so many days in my life that are more than coincidental. That it has made me believe that I am here for a reason. I’ve been tested on a number of occasions. I haven’t always done the right thing. And I think I understand given my family’s history and given my experiences, the important thing is not to look back and figure out all the things I should have done? – ?and there’s lots of those? – ?but to look back with gratitude. You will never talk to anyone that is as fortunate as John McCain.”
McCain’s recent battle with brain cancer underscores the fighting spirit and resilience of this remarkable man, who continues to crusade for the causes he believes in, despite advancing health issues and daunting odds.
Kunhardt Films’ previous HBO credits include the recent “
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Here is the first trailer and official poster for Jonathan Hacker ‘s Path of Blood which depicts Islamist terrorism as it has never been seen before. The documentary is drawn from a hoard of jihadi home-movie footage that was captured by Saudi security services.
A powerful and sometimes shocking cinematic experience, 
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the release of 82 of the 276 Nigerian school girls who were kidnapped in 2014 from a school in Chibok, Northern Nigeria, and hidden in the vast Sambisa forest for three years, by Boko Haram, a violent Islamic insurgent movement.
This fall, HBO Documentary Films will present the revealing film Stolen Daughters: Kidnapped by Boko Haram, telling the story of the girls’ time in captivity and following their lives over the past year.
Granted exclusive access to the freed girls, who upon their release last year were taken to a secret government safe house in the capitol of Abuja, the film shows how the young women are adapting to life after their traumatic imprisonment and how the Nigerian government is handling their re-entry into society.
Following a global social media campaign with the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, featuring global celebrities such as Michelle Obama, huge pressure was brought to bear on the Nigerian Government to get the girls back. Four years later, more than 100 of the girls have been freed. Stolen Daughters: Kidnapped by Boko Haram chronicles reunions with family members they have not seen since they were kidnapped, as well as their process of coming to terms with what has happened to them.
The kidnapped girls, known as “The Chibok Girls,” are required to live in a protected environment, where contact with the outside world is severely limited, although they are provided with education and counselling. As the film documents, they eventually progress to a residential, government-funded program at the American University of Nigeria.
Their fate could not be more different than that of thousands of other Nigerian women and girls who have fallen prey to Boko Haram and are known as the “Forgotten Girls”. In the northeastern city of Maiduguri, which has been the site of numerous attacks by Boko Haram and remains extremely volatile, some of the “Forgotten Girls” share deeply disturbing stories of their abduction and treatment at the hands of the terrorist group? – ?and eventual escape from captivity.
Their troubles haven’t ended with their escape from the Sambisa forest, however. With female suicide bombers having killed scores of people in the city, they are often treated with suspicion because of their connection to Boko Haram. “Forgotten Girls” enjoy none of the privileges afforded “The Chibok Girls.” Many live hand-to-mouth in the slums and refugee camps, abandoned by the Nigerian state, but are determined to tell their stories and move forward with their lives, despite the obstacles.
From acclaimed director Jeremy Frindel (One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das) comes The Doctor From India, a meditative and immersive portrait of the life and work of Dr. Vasant Lad, the holistic health pioneer who first brought the ancient medical practice of Ayurveda from India to the west in the late 1970s. A Zeitgeist Films release in association with Kino Lorber, the film will have a week-long theatrical release at 
Vasant Lad is considered one of the preeminent Ayurvedic practitioners and teachers in the world. In 1984, he founded the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico, the first Ayurveda school in the U.S. He has written numerous books, including Ayurveda: The Science of Self Healing considered a classic in the field and one of the most widely read books on Ayurveda. He is currently based in both Albuquerque, New Mexico and Pune, India.
Jeremy Frindel (Director/Producer/Editor) is the founder of Substratum Films, specializing in cinematic portraiture exploring the resilience and majesty of the human spirit. In 2013 Jeremy released his first feature film, One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das. Distributed by Zeitgeist Films, the film screened theatrically across the U.S., and won the Best Documentary prize at the Maui, Dharamsala and Gold Coast Film Festivals among others. Jeremy is in post-production now on his next project Spacefox, a feature documentary following the reinvention of Marty Friedman from lead guitarist in Megadeth to one of the most famous TV comedians in Japan. The Doctor From India is his second feature release.
“One of the most exciting things for me in setting off on a new project is the discovery and immersion into a world,” said director Jeremy Frindel. “It was highly intriguing for me to explore the synthesis of deep listening and intuition with medical care. Very quickly it became clear that this would not be a film that focused too heavily on Ayurveda though. What was most exciting to me was the quality of presence that Dr. Lad brought to his patients and students. The way he transformed a room and opened people’s hearts, and the profound healing power within that.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh8zXbb_ce0
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QUEST, Jonathan Olshefski’s award-winning documentary – a decade in the making – that reveals an intimate portrait of a black family in North Philadelphia, will have its national television debut on PBS series POV on June 18 at 10 PM opening the historic 31st Season of the longest-running independent documentary series on American television.
For his debut documentary, 
“We were both tired of the BS and the crap, that’s for sure. Anytime you turn around you see couples going through arguments, people cheating on each other, just doing each other wrong. And both of us have been down that road so many times in our past lives, that when we actually did hook up and get together and start talking to each other, we came to the equal conclusion that it’s not worth it, you know. You just need one person to love.”
Another tender scene shows Chris taking PJ to school on a tandem bike. “I’ll be here when you get out,” he says as he drops her off.
The viewer also witnesses tough moments like Christine’a comforting her older son William, who is diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor at the same time he is expecting his first child, and the visibly scarred Christine’a discussing her own brush with death in a fire.
Because the neighborhood where the Rainey’s live is riddled with violence, PJ has a 6 p.m. curfew. “A lot of people say their neighborhoods are tough but North Philly is definitely a tough neighborhood. PJ, you know, has a curfew. She has to be in at a reasonable time, she’s rebellious about it but doesn’t disobey me,” Chris says.
Chris is an attentive father and he tries to shield his daughter from harm. So it’s heartbreaking when we learn that PJ (at age 13), was struck by a stray bullet and nearly killed while walking home from the basketball court. As a result of the shooting, she loses and eye and undergoes surgery for a prosthetic eye.
“Like she’s blaming herself for getting shot. I’m blaming myself ya mean be out here,” Chris says breaking down. “When I see my child bleeding from her face saying I’m sorry for getting shot, what do you say to that?”
QUEST follows the Raineys as they face odds that would cripple and tear apart another family, but they overcome each obstacle together with grace and dignity. The Raineys’ story is a quest for survival, equal opportunity, and a testament of the resilience of the human spirit.
In the original documentary series, “Hunting ISIS,” History follows a group of veteran and civilian volunteers who travel to Syria and Iraq to fight against ISIS alongside local militias. The 6-episode series premieres on Tuesday, May 29 at 10pm ET/PT. Following its broadcast on History, the series will air on Viceland on Sunday, June 3 at 10pm ET/PT. ”
The terrorist organization known as ISIS emerged as a menace in the Middle East years before most in the West took notice of their attacks abroad. More brutal than Al Qaeda before them, ISIS took advantage of chaos caused by Syria’s still-raging Civil War and the United States’ withdrawal from Iraq to recruit heavily in the region. In 2014, the world watched as they swept across Iraq and Syria, capturing wide territories and ruthlessly killing or enslaving anyone who showed signs of resistance as they declared themselves the “Islamic State.” Local forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition of western military powers began fighting back, but progress has taken years.
Not content to sit back and watch ISIS devastate the Middle East from afar, scores of western volunteers have since traveled to region to join the fight against the terrorist group. Through the eyes of American fighters embedded with the Kurdish YPG militia in Syria, and medics supporting a coalition of local forces in Iraq, “Hunting ISIS” follows these men as they begin the difficult push to retake ISIS’ capital cities.
Completely unpaid and unsupported by their governments, western volunteers have many reasons for joining the fight. Some are military veterans craving the familiar adrenaline rush and brotherhood of combat, who shoulder a sense of unfinished business in the Middle East. Some are civilians eager to test their mettle while searching for a greater purpose. All are united in their determination to defend the innocent and end the atrocities being committed by ISIS. With unprecedented access, this documentary series witnesses their unique role in one of the defining conflicts of our time, exploring what’s driving these men to war.
Filmmaker and award-winning photographer Sebastiano Tomada built his career documenting conflict in some of the world’s most volatile warzones. “Hunting ISIS” is the culmination of over two years embedded in the trenches in Iraq and Syria, granting visceral, intimate access to the front lines of the war against ISIS and those individuals who give up everything to fight it.
A funny, intimate and heartbreaking portrait of one of the world’s most beloved and inventive comedians, Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind will debut Monday, July 16, exclusively on HBO. Told largely through Williams’ own words, the film celebrates what he brought to comedy and to the culture at large, from the wild days of late-1970s L.A. to his death in 2014. Marina Zenovich (Emmy(R) winner for HBO’s “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired”) directs.
HBO Documentary Films is now in production on a documentary series based on the bestselling true crime book “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer,” by Michelle McNamara. Academy Award(R) nominee and Emmy(R) winner Liz Garbus (HBO’s “Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt & Anderson Cooper”; HBO’s “There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane”; “What Happened, Miss Simone?”) is directing.
Journalist Michelle McNamara was determined to find the violent psychopath she dubbed “The Golden State Killer,” who terrorized California in the late ’70s and early ’80s, committing 50 home-invasion sexual assaults and ten murders. He then disappeared for more than three decades, eluding multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area. On Tuesday, April 24, 2018, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office arrested former police officer Joseph James DeAngelo at his home in a nearby suburb, identifying him through DNA evidence as the notorious serial killer and charging him with a number of the crimes.
“I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” is a comprehensive exploration of the case of an elusive, violent predator by McNamara, who died suddenly while investigating the unsolved crimes. It is also a haunting personal memoir and self-examination of McNamara’s obsessive quest for justice on behalf of the victims and survivors of the crimes. Framed by an introduction by Gillian Flynn and afterword by McNamara’s husband, Patton Oswalt, the book was completed by McNamara’s lead researcher, Paul Haynes, and a close colleague, Billy Jenkins.
Published earlier this year, the book debuted at #1 on the New York Times combined print and e-book bestseller list. “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer” was hailed by the New York Times as “a vivid and meticulous investigation” and “a wrenching personal account from a writer who became consumed by her subject.”
Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Grammy Award-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson will sing “I’ll Fight,” the stirring, powerful anthem for