Holding On to a Good Story: Making ‘God Save Texas’
October 2024
New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright remembers colleagues asking, “Why do you live in Texas?” when his location shouldn’t have been exceptional. Writers from all over the world contribute to the magazine. The difference, Wright says, is that Texas was perceived as “anti-New York.” Once a left-leaning state, Texas has swung far to the right. It’s one… Continue reading Holding On to a Good Story: Making ‘God Save Texas’
New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright remembers colleagues asking, “Why do you live in Texas?” when his location shouldn’t have been exceptional. Writers from all over the world contribute to the magazine. The difference, Wright says, is that Texas was perceived as “anti-New York.” Once a left-leaning state, Texas has swung far to the right. It’s one of the most polarized states in the nation.
After Wright’s editor, David Remnick, encouraged him to explain Texas, he thought, “Maybe it’s time to look at my home again and see what it is that keeps me here.” Examining one of the most important decisions that shape us all—where we choose to live, Wright authored “America’s Future Is Texas” and “The Dark Bounty of Texas Oil” for the New Yorker in 2017.
The following year, he finished God Save Texas, the book that inspired the 2024 HBO documentary series of the same name. In the trilogy, Texas filmmakers return to their hometowns with Wright to make sense of the Lone Star State’s past and present.
Wright felt these personal Texas stories would resonate with wide audiences who want to understand the bellwether state. By 2025, Texas will have more residents than California and New York combined. “Because the state is so dominant politically, economically, and culturally,” Wright says, “whatever happens in Texas, happens to America. In some ways, it’s the future of the world.”
From Book to Screen
After publishing New Yorker essays on Texas politics and the oil and gas industry, Wright had a lot left to explore. But he needed to know where he was going, because a book about Texas could have many destinations. Wright realized the secret to making the book cohesive would be to cultivate a relationship with readers. His personal stories became the connective tissue that brings Texas history, politics, and culture to life.
When God Save Texas was published in 2018, HBO president of programming Michael Lombardo optioned the national best seller. Then Alex Gibney came on board as executive producer.
Wright and Gibney began their creative partnership in 2006. At that time, Wright faced months of promotion for his book, The Looming Tower, which examines the events leading up to 9/11. Instead of a traditional book tour, he created a one-man play, My Trip to Al-Qaeda, to share with audiences the ethical issues he confronted while reporting on the formation of Al-Qaeda.
Gibney, who had long admired Wright’s literature, saw his performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. “I was knocked out by it,” says Gibney, who thought it would make an interesting film. In 2010, they released My Trip to Al-Qaeda as a hybrid documentary with clips from Wright’s play, archival footage, and interviews they filmed in Egypt and the U.K.
They went on to produce the 2015 HBO documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief and the 2018 Hulu series The Looming Tower, both inspired by Wright’s books. Going Clear, according to Wright, is among HBO’s most-watched documentaries. Gibney produced premium documentaries for years with his company Jigsaw Productions.
With confidence in the team, HBO greenlit God Save Texas without a predetermined script.
The book covers a lot of territory, so they could not simply illustrate it. With input from HBO, Wright and Gibney pared the series to three episodes that would focus on the border, the oil and gas industry, and one last topic, not yet determined.
Since Wright has a strong presence in the book, they wanted to reflect that approach while giving voice to the Texas filmmakers who would direct the episodes. As an executive producer, Wright would support the directors, on and off camera, helping them craft their stories throughout production.
Initially, Wright approached iconic Texas filmmaker Richard Linklater about directing all three episodes. They first met in 1990 at a vegetarian restaurant in Austin, where Wright interviewed Linklater about his breakout film, Slacker. They’ve maintained a friendship since.
Because Linklater’s wheelhouse is fiction, he couldn’t imagine directing the entire series. But there was a story he felt he could tell sincerely—one he had in mind for more than 20 years.
Episode 1. “Hometown Prison”
Linklater grew up in Huntsville, Texas. The city’s seven prisons are the main economic driver that touches all residents. For much of Linklater’s childhood, the state had not executed a single prisoner. But in 1982, Texas reinstated capital punishment. Today, it leads the country in executions.
The cruelty of the system became personal. Many of Linklater’s friends worked inside prisons. Others became incarcerated, joining one-quarter of Huntsville’s population that is behind bars. After witnessing the toll it took on loved ones, Linklater’s mother, Diane, became an activist and supported prisoners, which inspired Linklater.
In 2003, Linklater was drawn back to Huntsville in a panic. Delma Banks, Jr. was scheduled to be executed, yet neither witnesses nor physical evidence tied him to the murder he was convicted of committing. Outside the prison, Linklater filmed protests and spoke with Banks’s family about what it would mean if an innocent man were put to death.
Evan Lerner, formerly the senior creative executive at Jigsaw and co-executive producer of God Save Texas, recalls Linklater mentioning the footage. “Rick said, ‘I filmed this 20 years ago. I’ve never done anything with it. Why don’t you guys take a look at it and tell me what you think?’”
Lerner, Wright, and Gibney were struck by it. They used this part of Linklater’s personal archive to build the film around the idea of incarceration and the death penalty. While Wright had not explored these issues in his book, Linklater’s story compelled them to devote an episode to the prison system.
Before production began in 2019, Linklater compiled a long list of ideas and people he wanted to interview. As Lerner built the production team, he recalls wondering how the episode would come together, but Linklater always seemed to know how to connect the dots through his personal relationships.
The film’s structure shows how the system impacts everyone: families eagerly await the release of their loved ones, an evening guard describes how the lack of air conditioning makes the brick buildings feel like ovens during summers, and Linklater’s high school football teammate, Fred Allen, details how his opinion on the death penalty changed. Allen advocated for capital punishment while working on death row. Karla Faye Tucker’s execution changed his mind. He believes that Tucker, who had been rehabilitated, could have been a role model for other prisoners.
“Rick built the world of Huntsville with all these people,” says Lerner. “It was like a constellation, where the throughline ended up being the connection they had to Rick and Rick’s mom.”
In the film, Wright joins Linklater to process these issues and says Linklater’s conversations with friends were profound. “I don’t care what you think about the death penalty,” says Wright, “you can’t come out after watching it thinking exactly the same thing.”
According to Wright, Linklater had some anxiety about making a personal documentary and benefited from Gibney’s editorial feedback. But, Wright recalls, “Rick fought for the surprises.”
At the end of the film, Linklater demonstrates why he loves his hometown. He visits an exuberant church congregation whose members immigrated from Nigeria and are welcomed by their new community. Among them is a high school student, Tega Okperuvwe. Linklater captures Okperuvwe performing at a football game as Buzzy, Huntsville High School’s mascot. Classmates cheer for him with as much enthusiasm as they show for the athletes on the field.
“It was a total surprise and a delight,” says Wright. “Rick managed to bring humor to the story, which is something we tried with each one.”
Episode 2. “The Price of Oil”
As Linklater’s episode wrapped, the team began searching for a Texas director who could follow his tone by telling a personal story with a strong point of view, but about the oil and gas industry. Lerner says there wasn’t a search engine for that, so he began talking to agents. Tyler Kroos from Creative Artists Agency said, “I have the exact person for you.”
Days later, Alex Stapleton told Lerner about her Black family, which had lived in Texas for generations and was deeply ensconced in the oil and gas industry.
“Suddenly, it seemed like she was created to make this,” says Lerner.
At the time, Stapleton had been living in Los Angeles and directing documentaries for more than a decade. In January 2020, she moved to Houston to develop the film. She met with Wright and Mimi Schwartz, a journalist who introduced them to scientists and experts in the oil and gas industry. Stapleton felt like she was in a graduate program studying the environmental impact and business side of the industry. But she hadn’t yet figured out how her story fit in.
Things began to click after Stapleton went on a tour that showed her the dark side of her city through someone else’s eyes. An environmental group took Stapleton through Houston’s East End where fenceline communities butt against large refineries and chemical plants. Residents face high rates of cancer and asthma caused by smoke and toxic waste.
They visited every neighborhood Stapleton’s family had lived in for the past 100 years.
“I knew the air smelled bad,” says Stapleton. “But to listen to someone who, through their research, showed me how to look at my neighborhood again, it was a huge lightbulb moment.”
Just as Stapleton was reimagining her family’s role in the film, the project came to a halt. Stapleton recalls eating dinner with Wright and Schwartz when her phone blew up. The mayor of Houston canceled the Livestock Show and Rodeo as news about COVID-19 surfaced. When Stapleton panicked, Wright calmed her down. He had been researching how to survive pandemics for his new novel, The End of October, which would be published soon. “Larry said, ‘Listen to me. I know what’s going to happen,’” says Stapleton. “‘You need to go to the store and make sure you have lots of diapers for your son.’”
Without a roadmap for how to film during a pandemic, production paused. That reprieve was a blessing. Stapleton had time to reconnect with her mother, Scottie, the family’s historian. “She loves sharing new things she’s found, and her house is like a museum, filled with family photos,” says Stapleton. As they reviewed the archives, her story came alive.
In the film, Stapleton and her mother discuss their enslaved ancestors who built Galveston, a coastal city. After slavery ended, they moved to Houston, where Stapleton’s great-grandmother purchased a home in Pleasantville, the nation’s first master-planned community for Black residents. As the oil industry boomed, plants and refineries were erected next to Pleasantville and other Black neighborhoods. Home values dropped, and several of Stapleton’s family members developed cancer and other illnesses.
Through her family’s story, Stapleton examines racial injustice and questions who really profits from the oil and gas industry. It took Stapleton time to find industry workers who would open up on camera about the hazards; most remained silent for fear of losing their jobs.
Stapleton faced additional challenges. In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri hit Texas. Hundreds died after the state’s electric grid shut down. The team used clips from the storm to address the vicious cycle: America’s reliance on oil and gas fuels climate change and the resulting storms are stressing the industry’s infrastructure.
After production ended, Stapleton got a call from her great-aunt, Lela Johnson, whose home was being demolished that day. It was damaged during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Rather than repair it, the insurance company would rebuild a smaller version. The new home would no longer have the carport, where the neighborhood sheltered from the sun and gathered weekly after church and on every holiday.
With no time to hire a crew, Stapleton filmed the demolition with her cell phone. She captured her great-aunt seated in a wheelchair watching an excavator tear through the siding. “I can’t imagine the movie without that scene,” says Stapleton. “It shows what houses mean to people in fenceline communities who are told to just move.”
At the start of the project, when Stapleton watched Linklater’s episode, she thought his personal story made sense, because he is a prolific filmmaker. She wondered, “Why would anyone want to watch my story?”
While working closely with Wright, she realized her story’s value. “Larry had a way of pulling that out of us,” says Stapleton. “His book is semiautobiographical. In a really cool way, the series became a parallel experience.”
Episode 3. “La Frontera”
Lerner says the first two episodes started to “speak to each other,” and took on the same kind of director’s voice that wasn’t planned from the beginning. For the third, Lerner needed a director with a connection to the border.
In March 2022, Lerner saw What We Leave Behind, a documentary by Iliana Sosa. The El Paso native filmed her grandfather’s final trips from Mexico to the U.S. Every month, he traveled for 17 hours by bus to visit family there.
Lerner approached Sosa about God Save Texas after her film premiered. Sosa took seven years to complete her film, which took an emotional toll. She thought she was done with this kind of personal filmmaking. But Sosa recognized God Save Texas as another chance to tell an authentic story about people living on the border who are often marked by stereotypes.
Early on, Wright and Lerner spoke with Sosa about exploring the 2019 El Paso shooting. Before killing 23 people in a Walmart, the gunman confessed to targeting Mexicans in response to large-scale migration. Sosa agreed they should not ignore violence but didn’t want it to define the story. Her goal was to show what it’s like to live in a thriving bicultural community divided by an arbitrary fence.
“El Paso and Juarez are always in conversation,” says Sosa. “I wanted to talk about what it feels like to constantly be going back and forth.”
In the film, Sosa and her mother, Maria, have a deep conversation. Maria describes crossing the border for jobs that didn’t exist in Mexico. Beginning at age 14, she traveled every year in darkness over the Rio Grande, until she started her own family in El Paso. Sosa reveals that as a child, she translated the mail for her dad and helped her mother study for the U.S. citizenship test. When Sosa turned 15, she didn’t have a quinceañera. Instead, she went on a school trip. Growing up, Sosa felt like she was from two worlds but belonged to neither.
Wright joins Sosa to discuss the border as a region with a rich culture, rather than a manufactured line. El Paso is a city whose name means “the pass,” Wright says, where, for generations, people have crossed for better lives. “Their motives for coming are often very noble, but they are treated like criminals.” As the two sit outside, helicopters fly above. El Paso is a city under surveillance.
In the film, Wright and Sosa speak with several experts about immigration. Journalist Lauren Villagran explains how building a more expansive wall may ease patrols but pushes migrants into dangerous terrain where they are more likely to die. “What’s happening is painful,” says Sosa. “It’s a history that keeps repeating itself.”
Sosa explores this cycle with historian David Romo. He shares photos of Mexican migrants, who, before being permitted to work in the U.S., were sprayed with pesticides later used in gas chambers during the Holocaust. Sosa, whose grandfather had been through this, tears up considering the indignities.
Staying emotionally engaged while directing the episode was a challenge. Sosa trusted her producer, Danielle Mynard, to keep her on track by asking questions throughout the scenes. Sosa also credits her crew for creating a welcoming environment that helped her father Emilio gain confidence to appear in family scenes. “He ended up playing a bigger role than he thought,” says Sosa, “and was quite charismatic and funny on camera.”
As a child, Sosa says she felt shame coming from a working-class immigrant family. Now, she says her parents are “an immense source of pride,” and she is grateful to have told their story.
“What I found elevating about this series was that the filmmakers got very personal,” says Gibney, who consistently encouraged the directors to lean into their own truths. “When you dig deep into your own experience, it tends to have a universal quality.”
The Next Chapter
The God Save Texas team admits they just scratched the surface. If a second season were produced, they would welcome more Texas filmmakers to tell stories about the political map, guns, human rights, myths and lore, and arts and culture.
“Texas music is a big part of my life,” says Wright, who is eager to explore his city’s creative scene. Wright plays keys for WhoDo, an Austin blues collective. “It might not be in documentary form,” says Wright. “But I’ll find something.”
That’s a lesson to take from Wright’s career. When he finds a good story, he holds on to it, waiting for the right time and the right medium to tell it.
Last year, he published Mr. Texas, a satire about larger-than-life characters in Texas politics. Before writing the novel, he created different incarnations of the story, beginning the process in the mid-1990s, when the state’s last Democratic governor was in office. Wright’s screenplay and musical were not produced, but his play had a run in 2005.
Now, Wright and Gibney may turn Mr. Texas into a television series and a podcast. Wright has already written eight podcast episodes and co-written 53 songs with his son Gordon and Texas blues musician Marcia Ball.
In the meantime, Wright and each filmmaker have remained in Texas, despite its problems. “We’re fighting for space for our own voices,” says Wright, “and I think this shows that we can claim that space and make Texas more ours.”
Written by: Robin Berghaus
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LA Times on Eliot Spitzer’s candidacy
The Los Angeles Times interviewed director Alex Gibney in 2010 when “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer” first came out. Reporter Steven Zeitchik asked Gibney if he thought Spitzer would get back into politics, and which office he would run for. “Yes. Comptroller,” Gibney answered without hesitation. “It’s a position where he can… Continue reading LA Times on Eliot Spitzer’s candidacy
Update: Cardinal sought to protect church from sex abuse claims
An article by Laurie Goldstein, New York Times reporter, showed that Cardinal Timothy F. Dolan sought to protect church assets from victims of sex abuse by moving $57 million into a cemetery trust fund. Cardinal Dolan has previously expressed outrage against the abuse of children. The revelation came as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee released a… Continue reading Update: Cardinal sought to protect church from sex abuse claims
Gibney on Snowden, Manning, and leaking
Alex Gibney stopped by The Huffington Post Live last week to talk about leaks, whistleblowers, and their role in light of Edward Snowden’s release of NSA secrets. Joined by Jeremy Scahill (Dirty Wars writer/producer) and Jeff Jarvis, CUNY journalism professor. In light of Snowden’s request to seek asylum from Ecuador, the story of WikiLeaks and… Continue reading Gibney on Snowden, Manning, and leaking
Park Avenue up for Independent Lens Audience Award
Vote for “Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream,” Jigsaw’s contribution to the PBS series “Why Poverty?” Independent Lens’ Audience Award voting closes June 28. Please help us spread the word! The film is about the moat that America’s richest citizens have constructed around themselves. In roughly the last forty years, the establishment of that… Continue reading Park Avenue up for Independent Lens Audience Award
Reddit AMA with Alex Gibney on leaking
Alex Gibney hosted a Q&A on the subreddit IAmA, talking about everything from how the film “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks” came about to where he keeps his Oscar. On “Taxi to the Dark Side,” Gibney wrote: I hope that the docs have made me a more empathetic and humble person. I always… Continue reading Reddit AMA with Alex Gibney on leaking
Gibney on Colbert to talk about WikiLeaks, secrets
Recently, Alex Gibney stopped by The Colbert Report to talk about Bradley Manning’s ongoing trial. Gibney and Colbert go through the storyline and characters in “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks.”
Park Ave in The New Yorker
2012’s “Park Avenue: Money, Power, and the American Dream” focused on the differences between Park Avenue in Manhattan and Park Avenue in The Bronx, highlighting the discrepancies in wealth in New York City. Part of the film includes a profile of David Koch, a politically active billionaire who lives in one of the most famous… Continue reading Park Ave in The New Yorker
Alex Gibney on Huffington Post Live for “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks”
Director Alex Gibney appeared on Huffington Post Live on May 15 to talk about “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks” during a half-hour interview. The discussion ranged from the role of Julian Assange in the WikiLeaks story to the government’s handling of leaks even recently, with the Department of Justice recently admitting to seizing… Continue reading Alex Gibney on Huffington Post Live for “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks”
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WikiLeaks Was Just a Preview: We’re Headed for an Even Bigger Showdown Over Secrets
“Why Poverty” wins Peabody Award
The PBS-produced series of documentaries called “Why Poverty?” won a Peabody Award for its “parallax views of poverty today and through the ages.” 72nd Annual Winners Announcement from Peabody Awards on Vimeo. Jigsaw’s contribution to series, “Park Avenue: Money, Power & the American Dream,” looked at the harsh distinction between New York’s rich and poor… Continue reading “Why Poverty” wins Peabody Award
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Alex Gibney’s WikiLeaks Documentary Gets Closer
We Steal Secrets trailer released
The trailer for We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks is online — and was released last week on Apple: http://bit.ly/10nOoas We Steal Secrets – Trailer from Jigsaw Productions on Vimeo. The film follows the growth of WikiLeaks and tells the story of two of the people behind the largest leak of secrets ever: Bradley… Continue reading We Steal Secrets trailer released
The Last Gladiators released on DVD
Jigsaw’s hockey documentary, “The Last Gladiators,” was released on DVD March 12 through Phase 4 Films. The film, profiling legendary fighters Chris Nilan and Tony Twist, focuses on the difficulties of returning to life post-NHL. You can find out more and download the movie on iTunes here: http://ow.ly/iOq2o Watch the trailer here: http://youtu.be/wv9UAmA0RJA
“History of the Eagles” to screen at Sundance London
History of the Eagles: Part 1, one of Jigsaw’s newest films, will screen as a special event at Sundance London in late April. See the full line-up here: http://bit.ly/YcI83H Watch the trailer here:
Gibney authors New Statesman article defending need for truth in discussing WikiLeaks
We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks director Alex Gibney wrote an op-ed for the New Statesman this weekend, highlighting the importance of truth in discussing the WikiLeaks story. The article was a response to a column by John Pilger, a WikiLeaks supporter who questioned elements of We Steal Secrets without having seen the film.… Continue reading Gibney authors New Statesman article defending need for truth in discussing WikiLeaks
Mea Maxima Culpa featured on Entertainment Tonight
Mea Maxima Culpa, one of Jigsaw’s newest films, was featured on Entertainment Tonight in a story about ABC News reporter Bob Ross and his run-in with Pope Benedict regarding sex abuse in the Catholic church. In the report, the ET anchor shows an interview with Bob Ross where he describes being slapped on the wrist… Continue reading Mea Maxima Culpa featured on Entertainment Tonight
We Steal Secrets will be released May 24
Jigsaw’s latest film, We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks, will be released in New York and Los Angeles on May 24. Starting in June, the film will be available in wider markets. Read an early review of the film by The Hollywood Reporter‘s David Rooney.
Mea Maxima Culpa is BFI’s Film of the Week
The British Film Institute named Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God the film of the week Feb. 15, saying it “meticulously assembles an impressive range of evidence.” Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God premiered in the UK in early February, making its Irish debut at the Jameson Dublin International… Continue reading Mea Maxima Culpa is BFI’s Film of the Week
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The Financial Times’ 5-star review of Mea Maxima Culpa
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Director Alex Gibney says Pope’s resignation is linked to sex abuse
Last Gladiators to be released on DVD March 12
Phase 4 Films will be releasing The Last Gladiators on March 12. The Last Gladiators profiles Chris Nilan and Tony Twist, tenacious enforcers in the National Hockey League. Through interviews with a generation of hockey’s most hard-bitten tough guys, the film explores what it means to grow up from carefree games on icy ponds to… Continue reading Last Gladiators to be released on DVD March 12
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The Eagles through Gibney’s Lens
Mea Maxima Culpa premieres on CBC tonight
Jigsaw’s latest release, Mea Maxima Culpa, makes its Canadian debut tonight on the CBC’s Passionate Eye. The film, which is available in the United States on HBO & HBO GO, looks at an environment of silence in the Catholic church regarding sex abuse — a culture that extends all the way up to the Vatican.… Continue reading Mea Maxima Culpa premieres on CBC tonight
Recent links: Mea Maxima Culpa press coverage & the Pope’s resignation
In the wake of the first resignation by a pope in six centuries, Jigsaw’s Mea Maxima Culpa, which is currently screening on HBO and in limited release, has been a large part of the conversation. Director Alex Gibney has given interviews where he praises the Pope’s decision to resign, saying “his time as Pope has… Continue reading Recent links: Mea Maxima Culpa press coverage & the Pope’s resignation
Mea Maxima Culpa is mentioned in coverage of the Pope’s resgination
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy In the wake of Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation, announced February 11, media quickly raised questions about the reasons behind the Pope’s decision. Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God debuted on HBO Documentaries one week before, and media outlets looked to… Continue reading Mea Maxima Culpa is mentioned in coverage of the Pope’s resgination
An interview with Glenn Frey and Don Henley on “History of the Eagles”
Following a great reception at Sundance last month, “History of the Eagles” was the focus of a New York Times ArtsBeat blog post. The story is an interview with Eagles band leaders Glenn Frey and Don Henley, explaining how the project came about. Frey, in the interview: I think the first thing we had in… Continue reading An interview with Glenn Frey and Don Henley on “History of the Eagles”
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Don Henley & Glenn Frey on History of the Eagles: Parts 1 & 2 – ArtsBeat blog
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New York Times previews The Last Gladiators
“History of the Eagles” premieres February 15 on Showtime
Our new two-part music documentary, “History of the Eagles” premieres on Showtime in February. A description of the film: The Eagles celebrate their 40th anniversary with this two-part documentary. Using never before seen home movies, archival footage, and new interviews with all current and former band members, the film provides an intimate look into the… Continue reading “History of the Eagles” premieres February 15 on Showtime
Mea Maxima Culpa Premieres on HBO on February 4
Our newest film, Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, premieres this Monday, February 4, at 9PM/8C on HBO, and will be available on HBO On Demand starting February 5. A description of the film followed by the trailer: Mea Maxima Culpa examines the abuse of power in the Catholic Church through the story of… Continue reading Mea Maxima Culpa Premieres on HBO on February 4
Last Gladiators in Theaters February 1st
Here are Showtimes and Locations: February 1, 2013 Cinema Village 22 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003 February 15, 2013 St. Anthony Main Theatre 115 SE Main Street, Minneapolis, MN 55414 February 22, 2013 The Manor 1729 Murray Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 For more information visit the official website for The Last Gladiators.
Zero Dark Thirty’s Wrong and Dangerous Conclusion
It’s difficult for one filmmaker to criticize another. That’s a job best left to critics. However, in the case of Zero Dark Thirty, about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, an issue that is central to the film — torture — is so important that I feel I must say something. Mark Boal and Kathryn… Continue reading Zero Dark Thirty’s Wrong and Dangerous Conclusion
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Variety says Mea Maxima Culpa is “an expansive and authoritative study” of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church
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Sneak preview of We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks
Two New Jigsaw Films to Premiere at Sundance
We’re excited to announce that two of our films, We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks and History of the Eagles, will have their world premieres at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in January. For more info, as well as the other films at the festival, check out the official Sundance site.
Mea Maxima Culpa on Academy Award shortlist
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God was announced as one of the 15 documentaries on the shortlist for this year’s Academy Awards. The full list of films: “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,” Never Sorry LLC “Bully,” The Bully Project LLC “Chasing Ice,” Exposure “Detropia,” Loki Films “Ethel,” Moxie Firecracker Films “5 Broken Cameras,”… Continue reading Mea Maxima Culpa on Academy Award shortlist
Mea Maxima Culpa in Theaters
Our new film, Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, is now in theaters in New York and Los Angeles, with an additional screening in San Francisco this coming Tuesday. See below for locations and links to showtimes. NEW YORK Film Forum, 11/16 – 11/29 LOS ANGELES Laemmle Monica, 11/16 – 11/22 SAN… Continue reading Mea Maxima Culpa in Theaters
Road to Recovery event today in Belleville, NJ
A brief announcement for anyone in the area: What: A demonstration and leafleting outside a Hall of Fame induction ceremony of the Essex Catholic High School Foundation. Essex Catholic High School was located in Newark and East Orange, NJ, and closed in 2003. When: Friday, November 16, 2012 from 5:30 PM until 7:00 PM. Where: On the… Continue reading Road to Recovery event today in Belleville, NJ
A Message From Orwa
Dear Friends in Syria and around our brave new world, Your outstanding solidarity with me, during my three weeks trip under Syria’s ground, had the most touching impact. You have all made what could have been a much longer and more violent journey a much easier one, no matter how unforgettable it is. Now, after… Continue reading A Message From Orwa
Free Orwa
Alex Gibney and Lawrence Wright reach out to the global film community to call for the release of Syrian filmmaker Orwa Nyrabia.
Mea Maxima Culpa to debut at Toronto Film Festival
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God will debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The trailer for the film has just been released: