HBO has confirmed the second-season debuts of the acclaimed series “Enlightened” and “Girls,” with both shows scheduled to kick off ten-episode second seasons in Jan. 2013.

“Enlightened” tells the story of an ambitious executive at a global conglomerate, who returns to her fractured life after a humiliating public breakdown, determined to lead a more enlightened existence. But her newfound noble intentions only ratchet up the drama, wreaking unexpected havoc on those around her. Laura Dern stars in the series, which she executive produces along with Mike White, who also co-stars, writes and directs. The show concluded its first season in December 2011, with Dern receiving a 2012 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical.

The Los Angeles Times called “Enlightened” “the most interesting and ambitious series of the fall season,” while the Hollywood Reporter hailed it as “very funny” and “emotionally resonant.” The New York Times described the show as “funny, sardonic,” and the Washington Post termed it “wonderfully realized” and “unique.”

Created by and starring Lena Dunham, “Girls” takes a comic look at the assorted humiliations and rare triumphs of a group of girls in their early 20s. Dunham, Judd Apatow and Jenni Konner executive produce the show, which concluded its first season in June. Bruce Eric Kaplan and Ilene S. Landress co-executive produce. The cast also includes Jemima Kirke, Allison Williams, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver and Alex Karpovsky.

The series recently received five Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Lena Dunham), Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series (Lena Dunham) and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (Lena Dunham).

“Girls” was called “smart, funny” and “groundbreaking” by the San Francisco Chronicle, while New York Magazine hailed it as “the ballsiest show on TV.” People described the show as “brilliant,” and TV Guide said it was “brilliantly raw” and a “true breakthrough.”

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Los Angeles, U.S.A. — Production has begun in South Africa and North Carolina on the HBO Films presentation ‘Mary and Martha,’ starring Hilary Swank (Oscar winner for ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ and ‘Million Dollar Baby’) and Brenda Blethyn (Oscar nominee for ‘Secrets & Lies’ and ‘Little Voice’), it was announced July 16 by Len Amato, president, HBO Films.

Directed by Phillip Noyce (‘Salt,’ ‘The Quiet American’) from a screenplay written by Richard Curtis (Oscar nominee for ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral,’ Emmy winner for HBO’s ‘The Girl in the Café’), ‘Mary and Martha’ depicts the epic journey of two mothers who bond over the mutual loss of their sons to malaria. James Woods, Frank Grillo, Ian Redford and Stephanie Faracy also star.

“We were especially attracted to Richard Curtis’ approach to the story – bringing a human touch to this serious and often overlooked issue about a disease that is preventable and can be eradicated,” said Amato. “In the hands of Philip Noyce, directing these two gifted actresses, the difficult subject matter becomes upliftingly accessible, yet profoundly powerful.”

Hilary Swank stars as Mary and Brenda Blethyn stars as Martha, an American and an Englishwoman who have little in common apart from the one thing they wish they hadn’t – both have lost sons to malaria. Promising adventure and fun, Mary took her young son, George, to Africa, where he subsequently contracted the disease, while Martha’s son, Ben, died while working as a volunteer at an orphanage in Mozambique.

When the two immensely different women meet in Africa, they bond over their shared personal loss. Forging a deep friendship, they vow to dedicate themselves to the cause of malaria prevention, realizing that, as mothers, they have a responsibility to all the world’s children.

Says writer Richard Curtis, “I’ve always wanted to write a film about the fact that when you have children, there’s always the possibility of extreme joy and extreme sorrow. And over the years, working with Comic Relief, I have come across the tragedy of the startling number of lives taken by malaria every year. This film gives me achance to write about that too, as well as working with a team of people I hugely admire – Brenda Blethyn, Hilary Swank and the great Australian director, Phillip Noyce.”

‘Mary and Martha’ is an HBO Films Presentation of a WTTV Working Title Television Production, in association with BBC and NBC Universal; executive produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Liza Chasin and Juliette Howell; produced by Genevieve Hofmeyr and Hilary Bevan Jones; director, Phillip Noyce; screenplay written by Richard Curtis.

Image Courtesy of  Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, leaving 15,372 people confirmed dead and 7,762 reported still missing. In the wake of the largest earthquake in the country’s history, some people drew the courage to revive and rebuild from cherry-blossom season, which began within weeks of the tragedy.

Oscar-nominated this year for Best Documentary Short Subject, ‘The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom’ shows how nature can be a rejuvenating – as well as a destructive – force when it debuts Monday, July 16 (10:00-10:40 PM ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Directed by Lucy Walker (the Oscar-nominated documentary feature “Waste Land”), this poignant film debuts immediately after the debut of the SXSW Film Festival hit “Birders: The Central Park Effect,” which offers a different look at how nature touches people.

The documentary will also show on HBO on July 18 (12:15 PM), July 24 (4:15 PM) and July 28 (6:00 AM, 3:15 PM).

The film will also be shown on HBO2 on July 18 (9:00 PM).

HBO Documentary Films presents another weekly series this summer, debuting provocative new specials every Monday through July 30. Other July films include: “Hard Times: Lost on Long Island” (July 9); “Birders: The Central Park Effect” (July 16); “Vito” (July 23); and “About Face: Supermodels Then and Now” (July 30).

‘The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom’ is a stunning visual poem about the ephemeral nature of life, and the healing power of Japan’s most beloved flower. The nation is transfixed by cherry blossom season, which runs from late March through April, with many people tracking the blossoms’ short life-cycle and attending “hanami,” or viewing parties, with family and friends.

Walker had originally planned to visit Japan to make a film about the cherry-blossom season, but on March 11, 2011, while she was making final preparations for her trip, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck, triggering tsunami waves of up to 133 feet on Japan’s northeastern coast. Initially unsure whether to continue, she flew to Tokyo with a small film crew and headed north to the Tohuku region, where she captured both the utter devastation and stoic resolve of survivors, many of whom had lost family members and friends.

‘The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom’ opens with harrowing home-video footage, shot from a hill, of a huge wave destroying the town below. A month later, a young woman stands on the same hill, remembering how she “watch[ed] people being consumed by the tsunami.” An older man tells how he tried and failed to save his oldest friend, proclaiming, “I don’t want a house. I don’t want clothes. I don’t want anything. I just want his life back.”

Others tell their stories of survival, escaping in their slippers and seeing whole houses rush toward them on a wave of black water. One couple living at a community center returns to the ruins of their house, hoping to rebuild. Their town is within the 30km exclusion zone around the Fukushima power plant, and many people wear cotton masks as protection from radiation.

Amidst the despair in the days following the tsunami comes a glimmer of hope in “sakura” (cherry blossom), a harbinger of spring in Japan and a national symbol of renewal. One man explains how the cherry blossom reflects the Japanese character, saying, “Each flower is tiny, and you can’t see one individually. But it’s beautiful when you see lots of flowers together. Japanese people see themselves that way too.”

Out of respect for the victims, many viewing parties were canceled this year, but people still visit the blossoms and take pictures. A man who lost his house shows where new plant shoots have sprouted on the beach, commenting that if plants can hang in there, humans can too. A young woman looking at the cleanup and construction adds, “Every year that the trees bloom, they’ll give us the courage to keep going.”

In addition to its Oscar nomination, ‘The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom’ received the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was an official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Hamptons International Film Festival and BFI London.

‘The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom’ was directed by Lucy Walker with executive producers Tim Case and Charles V. Salice and producers Kira Carstensen and Lucy Walker. The director of photography was Aaron Phillips, the editor was Aki Mizutani, and the music was produced by Moby.

Image Courtesy of   Kasper Nybo

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This spring, HBO Latino, the HBO network’s dedicated Spanish-language premium channel, will present an incredible lineup of programs certain to appeal to today’s multigenerational and bilingual Hispanic households.

Two new and exciting original series from HBO Latin America, Destino Deporte and Mujer de Fases, will make their U.S. television premieres on HBO Latino along with three new Spanish-language films under the Estrenos Latinos banner.

The HBO Latino lineup will also include Spanish presentations of HBO original programs including the return of Games of Thrones, the new series Girls and Veep, HBO Films Hemingway & Gellhorn, the HBO Documentary Films presentation of The Weight of the Nation and HBO Sports events.

Content exclusive to HBO

Destino Deporte (“Sports Destination”) (Mexico) – This international journalistic documentary series goes beyond the scores and statistics to cover the unexplored side of sports.

Stories include the triumphs and tragedy of “lucha libre” in Mexico City, Brazil’s preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games, the excessive competitiveness and persistent cases of drug use in sports, and the looming fear of retirement that is a reality for many athletes.

Meet the cliff divers of Acapulco, female bullfighter Lupita Lopez, former Uruguayan soccer idol Dario Silva, Patrick, who sees soccer as the only way out of the “City of God” favela in Rio de Janeiro, and more. Via in-depth investigations, Destino Deporte delves below the surface to reveal the incredible diversity and the unexpected facets of what is defined as sports. Premiere: Monday, April 9, 8:00 p.m. ET. (Visit for more information or artwork).

Mujer de Fases (“States of Grace”) (Brazil) – An all-new, 13-part comedy series from Brazil, Mujer de Fases is a modern chronicle on romantic relationships and the search for love. Based on the book Louca por Homen (Crazy for Men) by Brazilian author Claudia Tajes, the series follows the adventures of Grace, a recently divorced 30-something woman who is anxious to restart her life.

Along her journey, Grace becomes involved with a number of men, but soon realizes that finding a mate is not an easy task, and unlike a fairy tale, in most cases the prince turns into a frog – not the other way around. Cast includes Elisa Volpatto, Rodrigo Pando, Antoniela Canto, Mira Haar and Julia Assis Brazil. Premiere: Friday, April 13 at 10:00 p.m. ET.  (Visit for more information or artwork).

Cutting edge and critically acclaimed Spanish-language films from Latin America, Spain and the Caribbean take center stage on Friday nights, with a new film making its U.S. television on the first or second Friday of every month:

La Isla Interior (Spain) – The imminent death of their father brings together three siblings struggling with a genetic legacy of mental illness. Martin wants to leave his job as a teacher and become a writer in Paris. Gracia, an actress, wants to put some reality back into the fictional world her life has become.

And Coral seeks love, hiding a dark secret that keeps her from forming healthy relationships. Brought together by their father’s illness, they must confront their inner conflicts to avoid following in his footsteps. Starring Candela Peña, Alberto San Juan and Cristina Marcos. Premiere: Friday, April 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

A Tiro de Piedra (Mexico) – After dreaming he will discover a fortune, 21-year-old Jacinto Medina leaves behind his sheepherder life in Mexico and sets off on a mysterious and sobering journey to the northwest United States, where he believes fortune awaits him. Starring Rogelio Medina, Jacinto Medina and Alejandra España. Premiere: Friday, May 4 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Habana Eva (Cuba/Spain) – In a Havana that’s been shaken by Fidel’s retirement, a young seamstress dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Frustrated by her lazy but endearing Cuban boyfriend, she meets a sophisticated expatriate Venezuelan photographer who dazzles her with promises of a glamorous future.

After many deceptions and surprises, Eva has to choose between the two men she loves, reaching an unexpected decision that is a humorous metaphor for Cuba’s options for the future. Starring Prakriti Maduro, Yuliet Cruz, Juan Carlos Garcia and Carlos Enrique Almirante. Premiere: Friday, June 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Original HBO Programming

Among the HBO original programs that will also be available in Spanish on HBO Latino are the following highly-anticipated series and programs.

Game of Thrones — Based on the bestselling fantasy book series “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R.R. Martin, the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning HBO drama series continues the epic story of duplicity and treachery, nobility and honor, conquest and triumph in the land of Westeros.

In the all-new second season, kings from across the land vie for the single, all-powerful throne against the backdrop of a fast-approaching winter – the season of the white raven. Returning cast members include Emmy and Golden Globe winner Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Michelle Fairley, Aidan Gillen, Jack Gleeson, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Richard Madden, Rory McCann, Iain Glen, Alfie Allen, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams. Premiere: Sunday, April 1 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Girls — Created by and starring Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture), the new series takes a comic look at a group of 20-something women in New York City who are trying to figure out what they want – from life, from men, from themselves and each other.

Cast includes Jemima Kirke, Allison Williams, Zosia Mamet and Adam Driver, with recurring guest stars including Chris Abbott and Alex Karpovsky. Premiere: Sunday, April 15 at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Veep — Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Emmy winner for Seinfield and The New Adventures of Old Christine), stars in this new series which follows the story of a woman who becomes vice president, only to discover the job is nothing like she expected, but everything she was warned about. Ensemble cast includes Tony Hale, Anna Chlumsky, Matt Walsh, Reid Scott, Timothy C. Simons and Sufe Bradshaw. Premiere: Sunday, April 22 at 10:00 p.m. ET.

Hemingway & Gellhorn — The HBO Films presentation stars Academy Award nominee Clive Owen (Closer) and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (The Hours) in a story about the tumultuous romance and subsequent marriage of literary master Ernest Hemingway and war correspondent Martha Gellhorn. Premiere: Monday, May 28 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

The Weight of the Nation — A 4-part, multi-platform project from HBO Documentary Films, this series addresses one of the most pressing health issues in America today – obesity.  Premiere: Monday, May 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

An additional 3-part series, The Weight of the Nation for Kids, will look at children who have taken action to prevent obesity in their lives and communities. Premiere: Wednesday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m. ET

HBO Latino is a dedicated Spanish-language premium channel that delivers compelling and relevant programming to the U.S. Latino market. Exclusive to the channel are the regular U.S. premieres of Spanish-language series, films, and documentaries acquired from North America, Latin America and Spain, as well as original short-form programming.

Additionally, HBO Latino offers the best Hollywood movies and HBO original programming from the network’s main channel in Spanish. Visit http://www.hbolatino.com for more information and scheduling. HBO Latino is included with an HBO subscription.

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Having earned two Emmy Awards for HBO Films’ “Recount,” which depicted the 2000 presidential election, director and executive producer Jay Roach was no stranger to politically-oriented films. On the heels of “Recount,” Roach was captivated by the 2008 presidential campaign, especially the selection of Governor Sarah Palin as John McCain’s vice presidential running mate. Continuing his fascination with how our country elects its leaders, Roach pitched the idea for a film to HBO in 2008.

Meanwhile, Playtone, a frequent HBO production partner, had optioned the New York Times bestseller “Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime.” Playtone was drawn to the authors’ coverage of the election and how the writers handled the candidates within it.

“The book was a character study on many levels,” notes executive producer Gary Goetzman. “We like to get into people’s heads and know what they’re thinking about, know why they do things, know why they feel things, and ‘Game Change’ had several movies in it.”

Written by two of the country’s leading political journalists – Mark Halperin, editor-at-large and senior political analyst for TIME magazine, and John Heilemann, national political correspondent and columnist for New York magazine – the book is considered to be the definitive account of the 2008 electoral campaigns, going beyond the headlines for an intimate portrait of the candidates.

The authors’ unprecedented access to the players, their wide-ranging research and the subject matter itself gave the project a compelling veracity that has become a signature of HBO Films. Consequently, HBO, Playtone and Roach joined forces to bring ‘Game Change’ to the screen.

Zeroing in on the human drama recounted in Halperin and Heilemann’s comprehensive book, Roach was especially intrigued by the process through which Palin was chosen for the ticket and her dramatic emergence as the “game changer” for McCain’s beleaguered campaign.

He explains, “The story of how John McCain and his advisors chose Sarah Palin to be the vice presidential candidate is compelling, and was compelling for everyone who watched it. There were a tremendous number of people following that story, every single detail, because it was an unconventional choice. I remember seeing the rollout speech and wondering how she got there and, ultimately, what led to the decision to choose her.”

Danny Strong was the unanimous choice to write the script following his collaboration with Jay Roach and HBO on “Recount.” In addition to the book “Game Change,” Strong, known for his extensive research on political subjects, conducted first-person interviews with the players privy to the behind-the-scenes events and reviewed news, magazine articles, speeches, rallies and other events surrounding the campaign.

Roach notes, “Danny and I share an interest in what makes good government work. We are fascinated by the notion that government is a fragile thing and people’s faith in government is also particularly fragile.” Like Roach, writer and co-executive producer Strong was also intrigued by Sarah Palin’s meteoric rise, from a relatively obscure campaign for governor to a spot on the presidential ticket of a major political party 18 months later.

Strong observes, “We landed on Sarah Palin as the person to center this story on, because we wanted to explore why someone who was never on the national stage would want to run for office and be thrust into the national spotlight, literally overnight. Essentially, this is a ‘Pygmalion’ story with a really great arc, from where Palin starts to where she ends up.”

At the heart of this story is the personal journey of Steve Schmidt, a Republican strategist who had previously fostered several successful election campaigns. Hired by McCain for his renowned winning approaches, Schmidt viewed the selection of the vice presidential running mate as McCain’s last chance to catch Obama.

After watching Obama’s inspirational speech in Berlin in July 2008, Schmidt understood what was needed to secure the election win. The McCain campaign not only needed a dynamic moment to rival Obama’s growing star power, but they needed to win back the independents, bolster the Republican base and significantly pick up the female vote.

Consequently, Schmidt believed Palin, who had an 80 percent approval rating in Alaska, to be the transformative figure he needed and the fitting piece to appeal to women and contribute to the maverick label. Strong explains, “In the film, we see Schmidt transition from the guy who starts off as the true believer, the guy who says this is what we need to do to win, to the guy at the end who now rethinks everything he thought before.”

Eventually, Schmidt begins to recognize Palin’s inexperience and sees the repercussions from his bold political maneuver. The film’s stellar cast had access to an abundance of information about the events and their characters.

Cast in the role of Sarah Palin, four-time Academy Award nominee Julianne Moore drew on a wealth of resources, including Palin’s own biography, “Going Rogue: An American Life.” Says Moore, “There is a tremendous amount of documentation on Palin, and all of it is available on You Tube: her interviews with Couric, Gibson, Sean Hannity, Charlie Rose, the debates, the Republican National Convention, and various speeches and appearances throughout the country.

I read her biography, books that were written about her and the election, listened to her voice endlessly on my iPod and worked with a vocal coach. I basically immersed myself in the study of her, and attempted to authenticate her as completely as possible. It was tremendously challenging to represent someone so very well-known and idiosyncratic, and so recently in the public eye.

Obviously you want to be as exact as possible physically, as well as attempt to inhabit them emotionally. It is impossible, of course, to actually become that person, but I had to somehow capture her essence and let her exist in the story we were telling. And I depended very much on my director, Jay Roach, who was an amazing partner to me.”

Two-time Academy Award nominee Woody Harrelson, who plays Steve Schmidt, McCain’s senior campaign strategist and one of the catalysts behind the selection of Palin as McCain’s running mate, observes, “The concept of playing such a character during a pivotal moment in American politics, coupled with Danny Strong’s phenomenal script, really piqued my interest. It was an amazing campaign, which was certainly historical, but in a sense, it was the birth of a phenomenon.”

In his preparation to play the Republican presidential candidate, four-time Academy Award nominee Ed Harris took advantage of the plethora of footage covering McCain’s speeches and interviews, in addition to reading McCain’s bestselling memoir, “Faith of My Fathers.” Discussing the character, Harris notes, “John McCain is a complex guy with a great sense of honor and duty, which is in constant conflict with his political ambitions. It is more than interesting to really take a look at who Palin was during that time and at what might have been.”

Also central to the story was Nicolle Wallace, a senior advisor to the McCain campaign and former White House communications director for George W. Bush. Working with Steve Schmidt, Wallace was responsible for prepping Palin for her major television interviews.  Sarah Paulson, who plays Wallace, describes her character as a “consummate professional, even-keeled, calm, smart and articulate, capable of handling herself in even the most fraught situations. She was forceful in making her points behind the scenes when needed, while still maintaining her undying support for the campaign.”

Says Roach, “I want the audience to experience the film as one would a drama, not just a retelling of something historical. One of the challenges in making a film like this is facing the fact that you’re not making a documentary. You’re not just trying to capture every detail of every event that occurred. You’re trying to tell a story that hooks people, and makes them care about what the characters are going through, and makes them think harder about what’s at stake.”

Danny Strong adds, “This story is a classic piece of Americana. It’s the story of a woman who’s a governor in Alaska for 18 months and finds herself almost a heartbeat away from being president of the United States. To me that’s a really rich and very American story, which says a lot about our political system. I think this is something very much worth telling as a movie.”

Image Courtesy of  Jeffery Stone / Shutterstock.com

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Real Time With Bill Maher continues its tenth season Friday, February 10, exclusively on HBO, with an instant replay at 11:00 p.m. following the live presentation. Allowing Maher to offer his unique perspective on contemporary issues, the show includes an opening monologue, roundtable discussions with panelists, and interviews with in-studio and satellite guests.

The roundtable guests this week are editor Zanny Minton Beddoes, policy analyst Reihan Salam and commentator Rev. Al Sharpton. Beddoes is an editor for the Economist and has been an influential voice on the commentary of the late-2000s recession. Meanwhile, her fellow panelists Salam is a columnist and non-fiction writer with an unorthodox conservative standpoint.

He is a Muslim but has previously stated that he is ‘not an expert on Islam’. Finally, Rev. Sharpton, a previous candidate for the democratic nomination for the presidential election, is a Baptist minister and civil rights activist.

Maher has starred in nine solo specials on HBO so far, including the hour-long presentations “Bill Maher…But I’m Not Wrong,” “The Decider” and “I’m Swiss” (both nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special category), “Victory Begins at Home,” “Be More Cynical,” “The Golden Goose Special” and “Stuff That Struck Me Funny,” and two half-hour stand-up specials, plus the HBO specials “30 Seconds Over Washington” and “Comic Relief VI™.”

Maher was the creator and host of “Politically Incorrect,” which was produced by HBO Downtown Productions and debuted on Comedy Central in 1993. The series moved to ABC in 1997 and ran through 2002.

His latest book, “The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody but Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass,” was published in November and made the New York Times bestseller list. Maher’s 2006 book, “New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer,” also made the New York Times bestseller list, as well as bestseller lists across the country.

He is also author of the books “When You Ride Alone You Ride with Bin Laden: What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism,” “Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? The Best of Politically Incorrect” and the novel “True Story.” Maher produced and starred in the 2008 feature film “Religulous,” the seventh most successful documentary of all time.

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In many ways, Richard and Mildred Loving were a typical couple. They grew up in the same Virginia town, fell in love and decided to cement their relationship by marrying.  Because she was part-black and part-Native American, and he was white, however, their 1958 marriage was declared illegal by their home state.

But the Lovings fought back and ultimately changed history through a watershed Supreme Court case that overturned bans on interracial marriage in 16 states. The exclusive HBO documentary The Loving Story, the uplifting saga of these unlikely Civil Rights heroes, debuts on Valentine’s Day, Tuesday, February 14 during Black History Month.

Married in Washington, D.C. on June 2, 1958, Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter were arrested in their home state of Virginia five weeks later and subsequently convicted of the felony crime of miscegenation. To avoid a one-year jail sentence, they agreed to leave the state, and could only return to Virginia separately. But that was just the beginning of their story.

he Loving Story features never-before-seen vintage film and stills of the Loving family shot in 1965 and 1966, as well as compelling present-day interviews with the Lovings’ daughter Peggy, neighbors, police and their intrepid ACLU lawyers Bernard S. Cohen and Philip J. Hirschkop, who argued the landmark 1967 U.S. Supreme Court case that finally brought justice to the Lovings.

The luminous, newly discovered 16mm footage of the Lovings and their lawyers, which was shot by filmmakers Hope Ryden and Abbot Mills, and photographs by acclaimed LIFE photographer Grey Villet capture the intimate realities of the Lovings’ daily lives. The prints were given to the Loving family by the photographer 45 years ago and given to the filmmakers in 2010. (A selection of these photos is currently on view at the International Center of Photography in New York through May 6.)

After the Lovings failed to have their convictions overturned at the state level, ACLU attorneys Cohen and Hirschkop sought a federal forum, and Loving v. Virginia was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on April 10, 1967. Through his attorneys, Richard Loving said to the justices, “Tell the court that I love my wife, and it is unfair that I can’t live with her in Virginia.”

On June 12, 1967, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the Lovings, striking down the prohibition of interracial marriage in 16 states in a breakthrough decision that continues to shape America’s attitude towards marriage to this day.

Neither dedicated activists nor participants in the protests of their time, the Lovings spent nine years simply trying to be able to live legally in their home state, and on their journey became little-known heroes of the Civil Rights era. They didn’t ask to be heroes. They just wanted to be happy.

Director and producer Nancy Buirski says the message of the film is both timeless and timely. Although depicting a universal love story, it comes at a time when, she says, “white supremacy groups are growing in the U.S. – in the very communities that perpetuated and maintained anti-miscegenation laws up to the 1967 Supreme Court ruling. While we’ve elected the first mixed-race president, we also recently witnessed a Louisiana justice of the peace refusing to marry a mixed-race couple.

“Contemporary parallels are gently embedded in the Lovings’ fight for marriage equality.  Today, 45 years after Loving v. Virginia, Perry v. Schwarzenegger is making its way to the Supreme Court. This is a story not of just civil rights, but of human rights and the pursuit of happiness, regardless of religion, race or gender.”

The Loving Story was an official selection at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and Heartland Film Festival, and won the WGA Screenplay Award at the 2011 SilverDocs Festival.

Nancy Buirski is the founder and former director of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Her credits include producing five collections of documentary shorts, as well as “Time Piece,” an omnibus documentary combining stories of Turkish and American filmmakers. The film has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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After fleeing his North Carolina hometown, washed-up major-league pitcher Kenny Powers spent a soul-searching season in Mexico as “La Flama Blanca” – and ended up returning to the States a changed man. Or is he?

Find out when the comedy series Eastbound & Down, executive produced by Will Ferrell, Chris Henchy, Adam McKay, Jody Hill and Danny McBride, kicks off its eight-episode third season Sunday, February 19, exclusively on HBO, just as real-life baseball spring training begins. The new comedy series “Life’s Too Short” debuts immediately after the season debut at 10:30 p.m.

Starring Danny McBride (“Pineapple Express,” “30 Minutes or Less”), Eastbound & Down tells the story of Kenny Powers, who used to be a star pitcher until his self-destructive behavior knocked him out of Major League Baseball. Picking up a year after season two, the third season finds Kenny in action on the “Redneck Riviera” (aka Myrtle Beach, SC), somehow resurrecting his baseball career by becoming the closer for the minor-league Myrtle Beach Mermen.

Even as he tries to pass himself off as the “King of Myrtle Beach,” Kenny struggles to come to terms with growing older and accepting the responsibilities of being a new father.

Eastbound & Down also stars Steve Little (“The Ugly Truth”) as Stevie, Kenny’s faithful sidekick; John Hawkes (HBO’s “Deadwood,” Oscar nominee for “Winter’s Bone”) as Kenny’s brother Dustin; Jennifer Irwin (“Still Standing”) as Dustin’s wife, Cassie; Andrew Daly (“Mad TV”) as Terrence Cutler; and Elizabeth De Razzo as Maria, Stevie’s Mexican wife. Jason Sudeikis (“Saturday Night Live”) joins the cast as Kenny’s new best friend and kindred spirit Shane, a veteran catcher with the Mermen.

Returning special guests on the third season include Katy Mixon (“Mike & Molly”) as April, the mother of Kenny’s one-year-old child; Will Ferrell as car dealer Ashley Schaeffer; and Matthew McConaughey as baseball scout Roy McDaniel.

Upcoming episodes:

Episode #14:  “Chapter 14,” Enjoying a new lease on his baseball career as the closer for the minor-league Myrtle Beach Mermen, Kenny Powers (Danny McBride) settles into a life of body-boarding, jet-skiing and hard-partying with his catcher, Shane (Jason Sudeikis).  A detour to Shelby to attend the one-year birthday of his child reunites Kenny with April (Katy Mixon).

Episode #15:  “Chapter 15,” With the baby in tow, a seething Kenny heads north in search of April.  Getting no assistance from Dustin (John Hawkes), Maria (Elizabeth De Razzo) or Jamie (Jerry Minor), Kenny tracks down his erstwhile lackey Stevie (Steve Little), currently employed at Ashley Schaeffer’s (Will Ferrell) car dealership.  Kenny crashes a perverse plantation fete the dealer is throwing in an effort to liberate Stevie.

Episode #16:  “Chapter 16,” Pro scout Roy McDaniel (Matthew McConaughey) arrives in Myrtle Beach to ask Kenny to mentor Ivan Dochenko (Ike Barinholtz), a promising young Russian pitching prospect. Stevie lays down the ground rules for his return to Kenny’s team, while grappling with Shane and Kenny’s relationship.

This season’s episodes were directed by David Gordon Green and Jody Hill, both of whom also directed episodes of the first and second season of Eastbound & Down.

The seven-episode second season of Eastbound & Down, which concluded in Nov. 2010, followed Kenny on his adventures in Mexico as he played baseball, made new enemies, reconnected with his deadbeat dad and smuggled Stevie’s Mexican girlfriend back into the USA on his return. The hit season inspired critical praise, with Entertainment Weekly saying that the show “continues to amaze,” while the Huffington Post called it “hilarious.”

The New York Post called the series “very funny,” and Rolling Stone hailed Kenny Powers as “an American anti-hero for our troubled times.” Danny McBride was named Comedy MVP for his role as Kenny Powers at the 2011 Spike Guy’s Choice Awards.

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The Ricky Gervais Show, the animated comedy series based on the record-breaking podcast, returns to HBO for its 13-episode third season on Friday, April 20, with other new episodes debuting subsequent Fridays at the same time. The voices are recorded by Ricky Gervais, his longtime collaborator, Stephen Merchant, and Gervais’ colleague and friend, Karl Pilkington, whose offbeat musings inspire many of the storylines.

The Ricky Gervais Show animates the podcast that first appeared on the Guardian website, subsequently earning a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most downloads. In March 2011, the podcast reportedly passed the 300 million download mark.

Topics covered in season three include: Karl ruminating on museum collections, his invention of the mug coaster, a movie pitch, and Karl, Stephen and Ricky shedding new light on charitable causes.

The Ricky Gervais Show has inspired critical praise, with the New York Times saying the series is “proof that big laughs can come in small doses,” while the New York Post described the show as “crazy fun,” and the Houston Chronicle observed that the show’s “pointless conversations will keep you in stitches.”

The Ricky Gervais Show is produced for HBO Entertainment by Media Rights Capital in association with Wildbrain Entertainment; executive producers, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Karl Pilkington, Glyn Hughes, Bob Higgins, Lisa Ullmann and Steve Patrick; supervising producers, Margaret M. Dean and Shannon Nettleton; producer, Pamela J. Arseneau and director, Dan Fraga.

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Painter Beverly McIver was enjoying a skyrocketing career when she promised her mother, Ethel, that she would take care of her mentally disabled sister, Renee. Years later, following Ethel’s death, that promise came due.

Filmed over the course of six years, the compelling HBO2 documentary ‘Raising Renee’ chronicles Beverly McIver’s efforts to make good on her promise. A testament to the power of family bonds, this thought-provoking film is produced and directed by Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan (the Oscar-nominated “Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern”).

Marked by drama, humor and unexpected twists, Raising Renee begins in 2003, as Beverly McIver is savoring opening night of her first solo art show in New York, joined by her mother, Ethel, and mentally disabled sister, Renee, a 43-year-old who functions at the level of a third grader. When Ethel dies the next year, Beverly’s pledge to care for Renee is put to the test.

Beverly grew up in a Greensboro, NC housing project with her sisters, Renee and Roni, and their mother, Ethel, who singlehandedly raised them while working as a maid for white families. Segregation in Greensboro was notorious: When Beverly was 17, an anti-KKK rally resulted in five people being shot dead by the Klan in front of the McIvers’ home.

Though most of her relatives stayed in the area, Beverly’s talent led to fellowships in New York and a professorship at Arizona State University. The politics of race would inform her art, and she vowed never to live in the South again.

Renee had lived with Ethel her whole life, making colorful potholders and doing good deeds with her mother. After Ethel’s death from cancer, Beverly moved Renee to Arizona to live with her. She was concerned that this added responsibility would end her life as an artist, but Renee was happy to be with her sister.

After a few years, Beverly decided she needed help caring for her sister, so she and Renee moved back to North Carolina, where she has been offered a position at North Carolina Central University, to be closer to their sister Roni and her family.

Though her sister seemed happy, Beverly worried that Renee was at home much more than when she lived with their mother. In fall 2009, shortly after Renee turned 50, an opportunity arose for her to live independently in an assisted-living apartment complex, something that was unthinkable when their mother was alive. Renee’s astonishing response to this challenge at age 50 raises key questions about disability and ability.

Beverly McIver is currently the Suntrust Endowed Chair Professor of Art at North Carolina Central University. Her work is in the collections of the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro and the Baltimore Museum of Art, among other institutions, and has been reviewed in Art News, Art in America and the New York Times.

Critic Irving Sandler has described McIver’s art as a merger of “personal confession and social commentary, photography and painting, and realism and expressionism.” Husband and wife team Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan have been making documentary and fiction films for more than 20 years.

Their feature documentaries include 1995’s “Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern,” which won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance, the Prix Italia, and Peabody and IDA awards, and received an Academy Award nomination. Their documentary “So Much So Fast” premiered at Sundance and was broadcast worldwide.

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He’s a self-aggrandizing actor who’s appeared in some of Hollywood’s biggest hits. But now his career is on the wane, and he’ll do anything to reverse his fortunes.

From Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, Life’s Too Short is a faux documentary starring Warwick Davis (“Willow,” the “Harry Potter” and “Star Wars” films) as a fictionalized version of himself: a little person who’s down on his luck, desperately trying to hustle and connive his way back into the spotlight. The comedy series kicks off its seven-episode season Sunday, February 19, following the third-season debut of the comedy series “Eastbound & Down,” with other episodes debuting subsequent Sundays at the same time, exclusively on HBO.

In Life’s Too Short, actor Warwick Davis is struggling to jumpstart his fading career and maintain his status as Britain’s “go-to” little person. He runs a talent agency for fellow showbiz little people called “Dwarves for Hire,” though he often takes the best roles for himself, and serves as vice chairman of a society for small people, though he’d rather be chairman.

Davis also seeks advice from his old pals Gervais and Merchant (playing versions of themselves) in hopes that their A-list celebrity connections will aid his career.

Each episode features cameos by top stars, including Johnny Depp, Liam Neeson, Sting, Helena Bonham Carter, Steve Carell and Kat Deeley. Other cast regulars include Jo Enright as Davis’ soon to be ex-wife Sue, Rosamund Hanson as his dim-witted assistant Cheryl, Steve Brody as his incompetent accountant and “EastEnders” actor Shaun Williamson as himself.

February’s episodes

Episode #1: For more than two decades, Warwick Davis was Britain’s “go-to dwarf.” Now, with his career on the slide, a massive tax bill caused by his useless accountant and a wife who’s divorcing him, he decides to open his doors to a reality TV film crew. After interviewing a new assistant, he drops by unannounced to see old pals Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, but Liam Neeson already has an appointment to pitch himself as a serious actor who is serious about breaking into comedy.

Episode #2: While selling autographs at a sci-fi convention, Davis agrees to be the special guest at a “Star Wars”-themed wedding. His fortunes appear to rise when Johnny Depp hires him to help research a new movie role, but Depp ends up having a bone to pick with Ricky Gervais.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are the creators of the Golden Globe-winning BBC comedy series “The Office” and the HBO series “Extras” and “The Ricky Gervais Show.” In addition to his feature film credits, Warwick Davis guest-starred on the series “Extras.”

Life’s Too Short was created by Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant & Warwick Davis.

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The concluding documentary in HBO and HBO2‘s month of documentaries about modern-day India is the story of women’s rights in rural India. As a young girl in rural India, Sampat Pal was married into a family where she was often beaten. But she fought back, leaving her in-laws and eventually becoming famous as a champion for beleaguered women throughout Uttar Pradesh.

The latest foray into the lives of extraordinary women from director Kim Longinotto (Rough Aunties), Pink Saris profiles the unlikely political activists of Northern India’s Gulabi Gang and their fearless leader, Sampat Pal, who battle antiquated caste traditions that produce lives of verbal, physical and sexual abuse. The moving documentary debuts November 30, exclusively on HBO2.

Sampat Pal is the leader of the Gulabi Gang (aka the Pink Gang), a vigilante group of women in Northern India distinguished by their distinctive bright pink saris. Like many other women, Pal was married as a young girl into a family that made her work hard and often beat her. Unlike most other Indian women, she overcame her problems to become an outspoken, self-described “messiah” for women.

Though domestic abuse is illegal in India, tradition and the caste system are steadfastly upheld by many, especially in the rural areas where the Pink Gang operates. By tradition, women are not allowed to live with their own parents once they are married, and are at the mercy of the husband’s family.

If a woman comes from a lower caste, she is often not allowed to marry a man of higher rank. Pal’s strategy is to expose abusive husbands, in-laws and other offenders by settling family matters out in the open, turning the tables on those who did the damage.

Among the women who see her and the Pink Gang as their only hope are Rekha, a 14-year-old homeless “untouchable” (the lowest caste, whose members are now known as Dalits) who is three months pregnant and unable to marry her unborn child’s father because of her low caste, and 15-year-old Renu, whose husband from an arranged marriage has abandoned her and whose father-in-law has been abusing her.

Pal says, “Forget tradition. Women won’t suffer in silence. They won’t keep quiet any more.” While Pink Saris highlights Sampat Pal’s strength and passion as a leader, as well as her unique way of resolving disputes, it also sheds light on her private troubles. Her partner, Babuji, who has watched Pal change over the years, is less certain about her high-profile methods.

Kim Longinotto, the world-renowned director of Pink Saris, has won awards at festivals worldwide, including the World Cinema Jury Prize in Documentary at Sundance for Rough Aunties, which aired on HBO2 in May 2010; a 2008 Peabody Award and two Cannes awards for Sisters in Law; and an Amnesty International DOEN Award at IDFA and Best Doc UK Spotlight at Hot Docs for The Day I Will Never Forget, which premiered at Sundance in 2003 and debuted on Cinemax that year.

The Museum of Modern Art honored her with a film retrospective of her body of work in 2009 and she received Hot Docs’ Outstanding Achievement Award in 2010.

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Boy Wonder, the urban psychological thriller, is a winner of 15 national and international awards, some of which include the Best Feature Film and the Audience Awards at the 2011 Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival, Best Feature at the 2011 Crystal Palace International Film Festival, the 2011 Vail Film Festival and the 2011 Hardacre Film Festival.

The movie makes its debut to DVD on November 8, 2011. Roger Ebert gives this Film 3 ½ stars out of 4, saying, “In a genre populated with formulas and dreck, Boy Wonder is an ambitious exception, well-made, drawing us in… dramatized in the style of dark graphic novels… works insistently on an emotional level.”

The film simultaneously packs riveting action and a strong sense of emotional connection. Sean Donovan is a child when he witnesses the murder of his mother. From that moment on, he exhibits signs of unresponsiveness and isolation. Sean is then left to be brought up by his alcoholic and abusive father.

Sean, played by Caleb Steinmeyer, who also appears in HBO’s True Blood, is an austere boy who takes pleasure in reading and classical music. When asked why the director used classical music, he replied, “I came up with this idea that this would be a connection for Sean and his mom.

People see classical music as soothing, but for Sean it reminded him of violence in the house, and violence put upon his mom. It was used as a setup for the aggressive memories in Sean’s head.” When classical music is played during the movie, it cuts to the horrible incident that haunts Sean’s life.

Another reason that classical music fits so well with the movie is that it is parallel with its flow. Most classical music begins slowly and quietly, building up a crescendo, where sounds come to a collision, making for an intense impact at the end. In terms of the film, this is where Sean’s dual personalities collide.

Morrissey said, “Definitely seeing Sean put the war paint on his face for the first time, when it felt like 150 degrees down on the train platform, but seeing this character do that on the monitor was wild. It was very cool to be able to see this character that I made up, come to life.”

This is one scene that shows Sean’s nocturnal persona. From all the rage that constantly consumes him, Sean creates a vigilante that rises out of the chaos inside his head. To Morrissey, the movie is all about perception and the way in which the viewer regards Sean’s character. Sean doesn’t do anything that is too heroic.

Sure, he kills a few bad people who deserve it, but he also attacks a student for being obnoxious, possibly to the point of dying. Does he even have the authority to kill a pimp? This, too, is debatable. Although the beating is uncalled for, some with different sensitivities may think differently, which brings questions of morality into the picture.

The reason Morrissey created this sense of distorted perception is because he wanted to create discussion regarding what is right and wrong. Check out the movie, and decide whether Sean’s actions should be considered  just or immoral.

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The turbulent story of a child’s journey from the slums to becoming a national sensation in India debuts on HBO on November 3. The documentary takes us back six years ago, in an impoverished corner of India, where an orphanage director and a slum boy captured the imagination of their country.

Plucked from obscurity and thrust into the national spotlight, Budhia Singh ran 48 marathons by the age of four, winning thousands of fans and making headlines around the world. But what started as a remarkable rags-to-riches saga morphed into a tale of greed, corruption and broken dreams.

The action-packed Marathon Boy recounts Budhia Singh’s fascinating story when it debuts on Thursday, November 3, exclusively on HBO. Filmed between 2005 and 2010, Marathon Boy is a riveting exploration of poverty, corruption and exploitation. Born next to a railroad track, Singh was sold by his destitute mother to a street hawker at age three.

Destined to lead a desperate existence as a beggar, he was rescued by Biranchi Das, a concerned local judo coach who ran an orphanage for slum children. Recognizing in Singh an uncommon talent for long-distance running, Das became his mentor and nurtured the boy’s gift.

A master showman, Das also organized marathon events designed to showcase Singh’s talent and raise his profile, thereby turning him into a folk hero for the underprivileged masses.

Fascinated by the boy’s ability after reading about him online, British filmmaker Gemma Atwal set out to film his story, focusing on his complex relationship with Biranchi Das, whose genuine affection for the child is countered by his zeal to burnish Singh’s celebrity at all costs.

Allowed direct access over the course of five years, Atwal and her crew captured many of the boy’s racing milestones as a three- and four-year-old, as well as intimate moments between Singh, Das and his wife Gita, who is interviewed for the film, along with several other principals.

Atwal chronicles the government’s growing disapproval of Das’ tactics, especially in the wake of the four-year-old’s highly publicized 40-mile run – a marathon is just over 26 miles – in 93-degree heat, after which Singh collapsed on the “victory” stand.

That incident, combined with criticism of Das by Singh’s birth mother, Sukanti Singh, led to investigations of the coach, who lost custody of Budhia in 2007. The conclusion of Marathon Boy is jarring and unexpected, as Singh is coerced to entrap Das, who pays a heavy penalty for helping turn a slum boy into a celebrated, albeit polarizing, figure across India.

In addition to striking location footage shot in Orissa and Delhi, Marathon Boy includes animated shadow puppet sequences that underscore a dark fairytale quality of this unsettling story.

The film is the first of four documentaries about contemporary India debuting on HBO and HBO2 in November. The others are: “The Bengali Detective,” a profile of Rajesh Ji, who solves crimes in the city of Kolkata while following his dreams of being a professional dancer, debuting Nov. 16 on HBO2;

“The Sound of Mumbai,” the upbeat story of tenacious, musically inclined Indian street children recruited to perform a one-time-only concert with members of the elite Bombay Chamber Orchestra, debuting Nov. 23 on HBO2; and “Pink Saris,” profiling the unlikely female activists of Northern India’s Gulabi Gang, who battle violence against women, debuting Nov. 30 on HBO2.

Marathon Boy is the first feature of Gemma Atwal, who has worked as a freelance director and producer on a variety of documentaries. Prior to her documentary work, she spent four years working as a journalist in Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe.

Image Courtesy of  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marathon-Boy/119109941475643

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It’s been more than two years since the film about the life of Liberace was announced but now there should be official movement in the production. Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh will direct Michael Douglas and Matt Damon as they explore the stormy relationship between the legendary entertainer and his younger lover, Scott Thorson.

Douglas will play Liberace and Damon Scott Thorson while Emmy Award winning producer Jerry Weintraub will help get this movie to the screen on HBO.

The film Behind the Candelabra was announced by Len Amato, the president of HBO Films last week. With Soderberg, who we know from Contagion, Traffic and Ocean’s Eleven, comes a script by Oscar nominee Richard Lagravenese (Water for Elephants) and producers Gregory Jacobs (Contagion, The Informant!) and Susan Ekins (Ocean’s Eleven, The Karate Kid series) while Weintraub will be the executive producer.

“This is a story that’s going to surprise a lot of people,” said Amato in a press release. “It’s funny, heartbreaking and always fascinating, and we are delighted that Jerry and Steven brought the film to HBO. With Steven at the helm, directing such accomplished actors as Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, this is a dream project for us.”

Weintraub continues “I’ve wanted to make a film about Liberace for a very long time, and after the amazing experience I had with HBO on ‘His Way,’ I knew that they were absolutely the right place for this movie. I am thrilled that we have the incomparable Michael Douglas to inhabit the role of Liberace, as well as the exceptional Matt Damon to play the pivotal part of Scott Thorson.

Putting these two fine actors in the creative hands of Steven Soderbergh – it doesn’t get better than that!” It has come a surprise to many that the behind-the-scenes feature will hit TV rather than cinemas. The flamboyant Liberace made a name for himself as the highest paid entertainer in the world between the 1950s and 1970s, according to Wikipedia.com

“From the inception of this project, we’ve had two priorities: getting it right creatively, and getting as many people as possible to see it,” says Soderbergh. “HBO’s fearless approach to original programming and their unparalleled ability to pull in viewers make them the perfect fit for us. Apart from my hair growing back, I couldn’t be happier.”

Behind The Candelabra will start production in 2012, with locations in Los Angeles, Palm Springs and of course, Las Vegas.

Peter Albrektsen / Shutterstock.com

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