Including unfiltered interviews with fashion, sports, music and pop culture icons, the documentary film Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 tells the true story and features first-hand personal experiences around the irreverent shoe that powered its way into our culture and changed the world. Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 was written and directed by Dexton Deboree, co-founder of the award-winning creative agency, Los York and would be in limited theaters and available digitally on July 13, 2018.
“The AJ1 is more than a shoe. It’s a symbol of a much greater meaning across genders, race, geography and time. Now more than ever, what this shoe represents, its impact on society and its role in really creating, defining and redefining a lot of our modern culture makes it a story that has to be told,” said Writer-Director Dexton Deboree.
Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 explores the dynamic journey of the Air Jordan 1 from its unlikely beginnings to its role in disrupting long-established rules of the NBA, changing the game of basketball, birthing sneaker culture and influencing a social and cultural revolution. Highlighting icons from across the cultural spectrum – including Spike Lee, Anthony Anderson, Michael B. Jordan, DJ Khaled, Lena Waithe, Kenya Barris, Jason Sudeikis, NBA stars Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook, hip-hop legend Chuck D, as well as rising stars Gizzle, Christian Combs, and Kid Ink, and many more – the film takes a raw and riveting look at a movement that so heavily shaped the culture in which we live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p79nXVeyj4sDocumentary
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“Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1” Tells True Story of the Original Air Jordan | Trailer
Including unfiltered interviews with fashion, sports, music and pop culture icons, the documentary film Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 tells the true story and features first-hand personal experiences around the irreverent shoe that powered its way into our culture and changed the world. Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 was written and directed by Dexton Deboree, co-founder of the award-winning creative agency, Los York and would be in limited theaters and available digitally on July 13, 2018.
“The AJ1 is more than a shoe. It’s a symbol of a much greater meaning across genders, race, geography and time. Now more than ever, what this shoe represents, its impact on society and its role in really creating, defining and redefining a lot of our modern culture makes it a story that has to be told,” said Writer-Director Dexton Deboree.
Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 explores the dynamic journey of the Air Jordan 1 from its unlikely beginnings to its role in disrupting long-established rules of the NBA, changing the game of basketball, birthing sneaker culture and influencing a social and cultural revolution. Highlighting icons from across the cultural spectrum – including Spike Lee, Anthony Anderson, Michael B. Jordan, DJ Khaled, Lena Waithe, Kenya Barris, Jason Sudeikis, NBA stars Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook, hip-hop legend Chuck D, as well as rising stars Gizzle, Christian Combs, and Kid Ink, and many more – the film takes a raw and riveting look at a movement that so heavily shaped the culture in which we live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p79nXVeyj4s
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Moving Documentary A BOND UNBROKEN Sets February 13th Release Date | Trailer
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A Bond Unbroken. Nguyen Hoang Minh, at his home in My Tho.[/caption]
The moving documentary A Bond Unbroken narrated by Renowned Broadcast Journalist Bob Woodruff which traces the emotional 40-Year journey of Navy SEALs to reunite with their Vietnamese combat interpreter will be released starting February 13, 2018, across digital, On-Demand and DVD via Cinedigm.
In the deadly jungles of Vietnam over 40 years ago, the Navy SEALs forged an enduring bond of friendship with their Vietnamese combat interpreter. Through brutal fire-fights and night-time ambushes, Nguyen Hoang Minh fought as a member of the SEAL platoons in the Mekong Delta and helped keep them alive. Though wounded numerous times, he never backed down or gave up the fight, and the SEALs began to feel that Minh was “one of us.” When the Communists overran Vietnam, Minh could not get out, and the SEALs’ brave comrade was lost to them forever. Or so they thought. Until one Navy lieutenant’s relentless search found him and the SEALs brought him to America for a reunion. A Bond Unbroken captures that remarkable reunion decades in the making, and presents another side of the battle-tough, covert warrior SEALs. Their actions change Minh’s life and dramatically impacted his family and the Vietnamese-American community.
“A Bond Unbroken” is narrated by veteran broadcast journalist Bob Woodruff and features the song “The Great Unknown,” written and performed by three-time Grammy Award® winner Rob Thomas (“Smooth”), who in addition to his solo career is also the lead vocalist for Matchbox Twenty.
“The emotional threads in this story were just so compelling that I knew it needed to be told,” says director Mary Ann Koenig. “We wanted to demonstrate intrinsic parts of the SEAL credo that we had come to understand, those of honor and integrity and fidelity. Along the way it became clear that these SEALs have hearts of gold, and that was an element I didn’t anticipate. Their ongoing efforts to raise money to support their old colleague and his family in Vietnam and to bring him to America for a reunion, have made it a privilege to take the four-year journey and make the world aware of this story.”
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Documentary LIVES WELL LIVED Celebrates Wit, Wisdom and Experiences of Seniors | Trailer
Lives Well Lived, the award-winning documentary by Sky Bergman that celebrates the incredible wit, wisdom and experiences of people aged 75 to 100 years old, will open on April 20th at the Laemmle Monica Film Center, Town Center in Encino and Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, California; other cities will follow.
Through their intimate memories and inspiring personal histories encompassing over 3000 years of experience, forty people share their secrets and insights to living a meaningful life. These men and women open the vault on their journey into old age through family histories, personal triumph and tragedies, loves and losses – seeing the best and worst of humanity along the way. Their thoughtful perspectives reveal a treasure of life lessons and a reminder of the greatest role models in our own families.
“My inspiration for the Lives Well Lived project was my 103 year old grandmother who enjoyed exercise, making the best lasagna you’ve ever tasted and being with family. She showed me by example, that age is truly just a number. In our society, the elderly are often overlooked and I wanted to bring that generation to the forefront. Our greatest role models are those living full and meaningful lives in their later years. It has been a six-year long labor of love to see this film to fruition: from the first days filming in my grandmother’s kitchen, to the moment of the final edits, it is a great honor to share the stories of the amazing people featured in the film.” – filmmaker Sky Bergman.
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Crime Documentary OPERATION ODESSA to World Premiere at 2018 SXSW Film | Trailer
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Caption: Leonid “Tarzan” Fainberg with unidentified Soviet Admiral posing beside a foxtrot submarine purchased on behalf of the Cali Cartel. | Credit: International Fugitive Nelson Tony Yester[/caption]
Operation Odessa is a true crime documentary about a Russian mobster, a Miami playboy and a Cuban spy who sold a Soviet submarine to a Colombian drug cartel for $35 million.
Operation Odessa directed by Tiller Russel will make its world premiere at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, followed by its debut on Showtime on Saturday, March 31 at 9 PM ET/PT.
An early ’90s gangster epic that hopscotches from Brooklyn to Miami and Cali to Moscow, the film tells the true story of three friends who set out to hustle the Russian mob, the Cali cartel and the DEA for the score of a lifetime. What really happened to the sub, the money and the three amigos has remained a shadowy underworld myth until now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct6hXDt_yqM
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LEANING INTO THE WIND, Portrait of Artist Andy Goldsworthy Sets Release Date | Trailer
Leaning Into The Wind – Andy Goldsworthy, Thomas Riedelsheimer’s followup to his 2001 sleeper hit Rivers and Tides, a portrait of innovative British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist Andy Goldsworthy, will open on Friday, March 9 at New York’s Film Forum with a national rollout to follow.
Sixteen years after the release of the groundbreaking film Rivers and Tides – Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time director Thomas Riedelsheimer has returned to work with the artist. Leaning into the Wind – Andy Goldsworthy follows Andy on his exploration of the layers of his world and the impact of the years on himself and his art. As Goldsworthy introduces his own body into the work it becomes at the same time even more fragile and personal and also sterner and tougher, incorporating massive machinery and crews on his bigger projects. Riedelsheimer’s exquisite film illuminates Goldsworthy’s mind as it reveals his art.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQYGbfVfpm0
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Sundance 2018: First-time Filmmaker Rudy Valdez’s THE SENTENCE Acquired by HBO
The documentary feature film The Sentence is first-time filmmaker Rudy Valdez’s moving film about the aftermath of his sister’s incarceration, and is described as a searing look at the devastating consequences of mandatory minimum sentencing. The Sentence, which had its premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Documentary Competition category has been acquired by HBO for a planned release later this year.
The Sentence draws from hundreds of hours of footage to tell the story of Cindy Shank, a woman who received a 15-year mandatory sentence for conspiracy charges related to crimes committed by her deceased ex-boyfriend? – something known, in legal terms, as “the girlfriend problem.” Cindy’s brother Rudy Valdez’s method of coping with this tragedy is to film his sister’s family for her, both the everyday details and the milestones? – moments Cindy herself can no longer share in. But in the midst of this nightmare, Valdez finds his voice as both a filmmaker and activist, and he and his family begin to fight for Cindy’s release during the last months of the Obama administration’s clemency initiative. Whether their attempts will allow Cindy to break free of her draconian sentence becomes the aching question at the core of this deeply personal portrait of a family in crisis.
Valdez said, “This film has been more than ten years in the making and we wanted to make sure we found the right home, especially given the intimate nature of the story. In partnering with HBO, we’re excited about working together to get this film out into the world and make as huge an impact as possible.”
Image: Cynthia Shank, Autumn Shank, Ava Shank and Annalis Shank appear in The Sentence by Rudy Valdez, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
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“This Is Home: A Refugee Story,” to Air on EPIX in 2018 Following World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival
This Is Home: A Refugee Story which world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, will make its television debut on the premium pay television network EPIX, later in 2018.
Directed by Alexandra Shiva (How to Dance in Ohio), This is Home is an intimate portrait of four Syrian refugee families arriving in America and struggling to find their footing. Displaced from their homes and separated from loved ones, they are given eight months of assistance from the International Rescue Committee to become self-sufficient. As they learn to adapt to challenges, including the newly imposed travel ban, their strength and resilience are tested.
After surviving the traumas of war, the families arrive in Baltimore, Maryland and are met with a whole new set of challenges. They attend cultural orientation classes and job training sessions where they must “learn America” – everything from how to take public transportation to negotiating new gender roles.
This Is Home goes beyond the statistics, headlines, and political rhetoric to tell deeply personal stories, putting a human face on the global refugee crisis.
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Audi Dublin International Film Festival 2018 Announces Rich Line-up of Irish Documentaries
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A Mother Brings Her Son To Be Shot[/caption]
With the festival about a month away, the Audi Dublin International Film Festival taking place February 21st to March 4th, 2018, gave a taste of their exciting 2018 film program by announcing this year’s Irish documentary line-up.
Festival Director, Gráinne Humphreys said, ‘This year’s Irish documentary line-up, full of World and Irish Premieres reveals a preoccupation with the tensions between long-held traditions and the contemporary society. These extraordinary films ask questions of what we can treasure and protect, what can be re-invented and what we need to learn to let go of. These profound and searching documentaries give a glimpse of what’s in store when the full Audi Dublin International Film Festival programme is announced on 24th January’.
One farmer’s courageous struggle to maintain a centuries-old lifestyle in the shadow of a huge multinational is traced in the Irish Premiere of Feargal Ward’s The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid; the walk of the Camino is re-invented as a Kerry curragh sea journey in the Irish Premiere of Dónal Ó’Céilleachair’s The Camino Voyage featuring Brendan Begley and Glen Hansard; and Paul Duane traces a hypnotic musical journey that brings us to the earliest Western music still in existence in the World Premiere of While You Live, Shine.
A less welcome tradition, that of dissident Republican vigilantism in pockets of the North, is shockingly explored in the Irish Premiere of Sinéad O’Shea’s much-anticipated A Mother Brings Her Son to Be Shot. The Troubles also reverberate through the Irish Premiere of Donal Foreman’s The Image You Missed, which sees the filmmaker grapple with the legacy of his estranged father, Arthur MacCaig, and the decades-spanning archive of the conflict in Northern Ireland that he created.
Each year the Arts Council’s Reel Art scheme, in association with ADIFF and Filmbase, commissions two films that offer filmmakers a chance to make highly creative, imaginative and experimental documentaries on an artistic theme. Receiving their World Premieres at this year’s festival in the IFI are Rouzbeh Rashidi’s Phantom Islands, a visceral exploration of the boundaries between documentary and fiction and Niall McCann’s reflective encounter with Irish musician and artist Adrian Crowley in The Science of Ghosts.
Lastly, major Irish filmmaker Pat Collins returns to documentary with Twilight, a beautiful evocation of the end of day, that was filmed over two years in Baltimore, West Cork.
Irish Documentaries at ADIFF 2018
The Lonely Battle of Thomas Reid The Science of Ghosts Phantom Islands Twilight Light While You Live, Shine The Image You Missed The Camino Voyage
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Sundance 2018: Watch Trailer for Gloria Allred Documentary SEEING ALLRED
As sexual-violence allegations grip the nation, the revealing Gloria Allred documentary “Seeing Allred” provides a candid look at one of the most public crusaders against the war on women. Seeing Allred will World Premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and debut on Netflix February 9, 2018.
Through rare archival footage and revealing interviews with both her supporters and critics, this fascinating biographical portrait examines Gloria Allred’s personal trauma and assesses both her wins and setbacks on high-profile cases against Bill Cosby and Donald Trump.
Featuring interviews with Gloria Steinem, Don Lemon, Alan Dershowitz, Allred’s daughter Lisa Bloom and others, Seeing Allred is a portrait of a woman everyone thinks they know, at a time when women need her the most.
Seeing Allred is directed by Sophie Sartain (Mimi and Dona, 2015) and Roberta Grossman (Above and Beyond, 2014); and produced by Grossman, Sartain, Marta Kauffman (co-creator of Friends and Grace & Frankie), Robbie Rowe Tollin (The Zookeeper’s Wife), and Hannah KS Canter (Grace & Frankie).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC8Eg0odTfY
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ELVIS PRESLEY: THE SEARCHER, Documentary Exploring His Creative Journey, Debuts April 14 on HBO
The new documentary Elvis Presley: The Searcher will debut Saturday, April 14 on HBO. This three-hour, two-film presentation focuses on Elvis Presley the musical artist, taking the audience on a comprehensive creative journey from his childhood through the final 1976 Jungle Room recording sessions.
The films include stunning atmospheric shots taken inside Graceland, Elvis’ iconic home, and feature more than 20 new, primary source interviews with session players, producers, engineers, directors and other artists who knew him or who were profoundly influenced by him. The documentary also features never-before-seen photos and footage from private collections worldwide, and includes an original musical score composed by Pearl Jam lead guitarist Mike McCready.
Priscilla Presley, David Porter (legendary Memphis music writer and producer), Thom Zimny (director), Jon Landau (producer) and moderator John Jackson (SVP A&R, Sony Music) will discuss the film, the cultural impact of Elvis’ music and how that impact became the embodiment of rock’n’roll at the 2018 SXSW Festival in March.
The panel is expected to cover:
- how Elvis found inspiration in black and white gospel music of Tupelo
- his early experience with the great African-American blues and r’n’b of Memphis
- his evolution as an artist with Sam Phillips
- the creative impact of his time serving in the U.S. Army in Germany
- the creative highs and lows of his career in the 1960s, culminating in the triumphant ’68 special
- an assessment of Elvis as a performing artist in the early ’70s, featuring a discussion of Jon Landau’s seminal 1971 review of Elvis in concert
- a discussion of the interviews conducted for the film, including insights into the conversations with Scotty Moore, Red West, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty, among others
- insight into the creation of the film’s score by Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready
- an inquiry into the artistic and personal struggles that preceded his death in 1977
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Documentaries on Martin Luther King, Jr., Arthur Miller and More Set to Debut on HBO
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Stokely Carmichael appear in King In The Wilderness by Peter Kunhardt[/caption]
HBO has confirmed a diverse array of timely and thought-provoking documentaries for the first half of 2018, including: Peter Kunhardt’s KING IN THE WILDERNESS, about the last years of Martin Luther King, Jr.; Judd Apatow’s two-part, four-and-a-half-hour documentary THE ZEN DAIRIES OF GARRY SHANDLING; Rebecca Miller’s ARTHUR MILLER: WRITER, an intimate portrait of one the greatest playwrights of the 20th century; and I AM EVIDENCE, produced by Mariska Hargitay, about the untested rape kit backlog in the U.S.
Upcoming HBO documentaries include (in chronological order):
THE NUMBER ON GREAT GRANDPA’S ARM (debuts Jan. 27). When ten-year-old Elliott asks his 90-year-old great-grandfather, Jack, about the number tattooed on his arm, he sparks an intimate conversation about Jack’s life that spans happy memories of childhood in Poland, the loss of his family, surviving Auschwitz, and finding a new life in America. Drawing on haunting historical footage, photos and hand-painted watercolor animation, the short film tells a heartbreaking story of Jewish life in Eastern Europe before and during the Holocaust. Debuting on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, this gently powerful documentary centers on Elliott’s love for his beloved great-grandfather and his wish to keep Jack’s memories and lessons from that terrible time alive. Directed and produced by Amy Schatz.
MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS (Jan. 29). From longtime fans Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio, and filmed with extensive access over the course of more than two years, this intimate portrait of the acclaimed North Carolina band charts their decade-and-a half rise, while chronicling the Avetts’ present-day collaboration with famed producer Rick Rubin on the multi-Grammy-nominated album “True Sadness.” With the recording process as a backdrop, it depicts a lifelong bond and unique creative partnership, as band members experience marriage, divorce, parenthood, illness, and the challenges of the music business. More than just a music documentary, the film is a meditation on family, love and the passage of time. An Apatow Production in association with RadicalMedia.
ATOMIC HOMEFRONT (Feb. 12). This timely film shines an urgent light on the lasting toxic effects nuclear waste can have on communities. Focusing on a group of moms-turned-advocates in St Louis, it follows them as they confront the Environmental Protection Agency, state regulators and the corporations behind the illegal dumping of dangerous radioactive waste in their neighborhoods. Directed by Rebecca Cammisa.
ARTHUR MILLER: WRITER (March 19). This intimate portrait of one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century is told from the unique perspective of his daughter, Rebecca Miller, who filmed interviews with her father over decades. Drawing on a wealth of personal archival material, the film provides new insights into Miller’s life as an artist and explores his character in all its complexity. Directed by Rebecca Miller.
THE ZEN DIARIES OF GARRY SHANDLING (March 26 and 27). Judd Apatow’s two-part, four-and-a-half-hour documentary explores the remarkable life of the legendary comedian, who was Apatow’s mentor and friend. It features interviews from nearly four dozen friends, family and colleagues; four decades’ worth of television appearances; and a lifetime of personal journals, private letters and home audio and video footage that reveal Shandling’s brilliant mind and restless soul.
KING IN THE WILDERNESS (April). Drawing on stories from the people around him, this film follows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the last years of his life, from the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 to his assassination in 1968. The documentary provides a clear window into King’s character, showing him to be a man with an unshakeable commitment to nonviolence in the face of an increasingly unstable country. With the U.S. currently in one of the most divided periods in 50 years, King’s words underscore why nonviolence is still vital today. Directed by Peter Kunhardt and produced by George and Teddy Kunhardt.
TRAFFIC STOP (April). This film tells the story of Breaion King, a 26-year-old African-American school teacher from Austin, Texas, who was stopped for a routine traffic violation that escalated into a dramatic arrest. Caught on police dashcams, King was pulled from her car by the arresting officer, repeatedly thrown to the ground and handcuffed. En route to jail in a squad car, she engaged in a revealing conversation with her escorting officer about race and law enforcement in America. The documentary juxtaposes dashcam footage with scenes from King’s everyday life, offering a fuller portrait of the woman caught up in this unsettling encounter. Directed by Kate Davis; produced by David Heilbroner.
I AM EVIDENCE (April). Produced by Mariska Hargitay, this documentary reveals the shocking number of untested rape kits in the United States today. Despite the power of DNA to solve and prevent crimes, hundreds of thousands of these kits, containing potentially crucial DNA evidence, languish untested in police evidence storage rooms across the country. The film tells stories of survivors who have waited years for their kits to be tested, as well as the law enforcement officials who are leading the charge to work through the backlog and pursue long-awaited justice. Directed by Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir.
THE FINAL YEAR (May). This documentary is a unique insiders’ account of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy team during its last year in office. Featuring unprecedented access inside the White House and State Department, the film offers an uncompromising view of the inner workings of the Obama administration as it prepares to leave power after eight years. Directed by Greg Barker.
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“The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling,” Documentary by Judd Apatow on the Legendary Comedian to Debut on HBO
When Garry Shandling passed away in 2016, he was widely remembered as a top stand-up comic and the star of two of the most innovative sitcoms in TV history. But to those who knew him, the “real” Garry Shandling was a far more complex person. Now, Judd Apatow has created a remarkable portrait of this iconic comedian in the four-and-a-half-hour documentary The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling, which debuts in two parts Monday, March 26 and Tuesday, March 27, exclusively on HBO.
Epic in scope and intimate in detail, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling features conversations with more than 40 of Shandling’s family and friends, including James L. Brooks, Jim Carrey, Sacha Baron Cohen, David Coulier, Jon Favreau, Jay Leno, Kevin Nealon, Conan O’Brien, Bob Saget, Jerry Seinfeld and Sarah Silverman, and four decades’ worth of TV appearances, along with personal journals, private letters and candid home audio and video footage that reveal his brilliant mind and restless soul.
“Give what you didn’t get,” wrote Shandling in a journal late in his life, the mantra of a self-proclaimed “spiritual warrior” still challenging himself to transcend his own insecurities, despite achieving so much in the face of loss, betrayal and tragic twists of fate. From childhood tragedy to heartbreak, professional betrayal and unexpected physical trauma, to his emergence as a powerful teacher, friend and guiding spirit for a new generation of talent, Apatow’s documentary not only chronicles one man’s ability to survive the ups and downs of a life in show business, but also offers a profound investigation into the power of comedy to elevate the human spirit.
Shandling experienced a normal existence growing up in Tucson until age ten, when his older brother and only sibling, Barry, died from cystic fibrosis. His parents barely discussed their older son’s passing, and his mother, Muriel, began clinging to her younger son, developing an intense and sometimes troubling bond that would later generate some of his comedy material.
Shandling’s unlikely path towards success, through an encounter with George Carlin and an impulsive move to Los Angeles after college, took a turn in 1976, when he was involved in a serious traffic accident, resulting in a near-death experience. As he recovered, he noted in his diaries, which he began keeping in 1977, “Do it – you are ready, be a comedian. It is the real me. The secret is to be myself.”
Explains Jim Carrey, “I thought of Garry as someone who told the audience, ‘You’re alright, because I have all these problems.’ But he did it in a way that was so incredibly clever, you had to respect him at the same time.”
Shandling made the leap from the pinnacle of stand-up success, appearing on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” to develop his comic persona into something that would redefine television comedy. Realizing that one of his strengths as a standup was simply the ability to “talk to people,” he created a show where talking to the audience was the central focus – “a show that allows Garry to be Garry,” as his journals read.
“It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” was a decade ahead of its time, the first modern “meta”-sitcom that brought him a new legion of devoted fans and elevated his profile in the industry. “It was kind of a revelation,” remembers Conan O’Brien about the show’s three-season run. “It showed everybody, this is what kind of show can exist.” He also met Linda Doucett, who became his fiancée, began building a new home, and was even rumored to be heir apparent for the host seat on “The Tonight Show.”
Part two of The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling offers an extensive examination of “The Larry Sanders Show,” his landmark HBO comedy series. Colleagues remember the demands of producing material that met Shandling’s high standards, while his diaries reveal an ongoing struggle with complacency and search for authenticity. The impact of “Larry Sanders” was immeasurable. “That show will outlast all of us,” says Jay Leno.
But in the wake of the show’s success, soul-wrenching tragedy, fueled at times by Shandling’s own demons, played itself out. Sanders and Doucett broke up and he fired her from the show, leading to a lawsuit, which in turn raised financial questions that led Shandling to sue his manager, Brad Grey, for $100 million, a case that took years to resolve and cost him many friendships, as well as threatening his ongoing pursuit of spiritual peace.
“I see him as a tortured person, because he was always trying to rise above,” remembers Kevin Nealon. “I mean, his core was good. I think it was the skin around that core that he was trying to break away from.” After “The Larry Sanders Show” ended, Shandling’s neuroses and insecurities became more evident, as he worked through unexpected emotional, physical and professional crises.
The ailing Shandling found solace in community. Sunday morning basketball games on his home courtyard brought friends together and kept him emotionally connected, while a mentorship of younger comics gave his life fresh meaning. “He was a comic angel,” recalls Sacha Baron Cohen.
A successful gig hosting the Emmys(R), creating unique extras for the DVD release of “The Larry Sanders Show” and an appearance with his friend Jerry Seinfeld on “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” (where Shandling opined about death and mortality) hinted at some of the lessons he’d learned in his lifelong quest for peace.
As his friends say farewell and some of Shandling’s most personal, heartfelt letters and thoughts are shared, Apatow’s documentary, like its subject, transcends easy definition, being at once hilarious, sad, fascinating and, above all, completely authentic.