CNN Films explained

CNN Films
Type:	Division
Owner:	Warner Bros. Discovery
Parent:	CNN
Homepage:	cnn.com/cnnfilms
Location Country:	United States
Industry:	Motion picture Film distribution
Products:	Films

Cable News Network Films (known as CNN Films) is a motion picture division of CNN under Warner Bros. Pictures, originally launched in 2012.^[1] Its first film, Girl Rising premiered in spring 2013 in the United States.^{[2] [3]}

History

On October 8, 2012, CNN announced the creation of CNN Films. CNN says that it will acquire and commission original feature-length documentaries that will "examine an array of political, social, and economic subject matters." It also signed development deals with documentary directors Alex Gibney and Andrew Rossi.^{[4] [5]} Since its creation, it already acquired the rights for Girl Rising, a 100-minute documentary narrated by Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Kerry Washington, and Selena Gomez.^[6]

While the documentaries will initially air on CNN, the network reportedly plans to enter them in film festivals and distribute them to theaters as well.

At the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, CNN announced the acquisition of three documentaries. It acquired the rights to air Life Itself, a film adaptation of Roger Ebert's 2011 memoir, in television. The project will be directed by Steve James and executive produced by Martin Scorsese and Steven Zaillian. It is scheduled to air in 2014.^[7] The two other untitled projects are expected to air on CNN in 2013. One, from directors Michael Tucker and Petra Epperleini, centers on 9/11 and reconstructs the events at Ground Zero; the other, from director Andrew Rossi, focuses on the transformation of higher education, examining the costs and relevance of college.^[8]

CNN Films bought the television rights of which premiered on March 10, 2013, on CNN. The film was directed by Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke. The film premiered on January 19, 2012, at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and was theatrically released on October 5, 2012.^{[9] [10]}

CNN Films acquired Penny Lane's Our Nixon, and CNN premiered the film in August 2013, while Cinedigm released it theatrically.^{[11] [12] [13]} The network has also then acquired the domestic television broadcast rights of the Sundance film selection Robert Stone's Pandora's Promise and aired it on CNN in November 2013 while it was theatrically released five months before.^{[14] [15]}

On December 10, 2020, CNN Films teamed up with the BBC to produce a documentary about the development and manufacturing of vaccines for the COVID-19 pandemic. The documentary that is not a film is produced by British virologist-turned-filmmaker Catherine Gale who also directs with American independent filmmaker and medical journalist Caleb Hellerman, and will air in 2021 on CNN in the United States under the title Race for the Vaccine and BBC Two in the United Kingdom under the title Vaccine: The Inside Story.^[16]

Filmography

Title	Release date	Director(s)	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Ref(s)
	June 7, 2013	Seth Kramer Daniel A. Miller Jeremy Newberger	Daniel A. Miller	Seth Kramer Daniel A. Miller Jeremy Newberger
Girl Rising	June 16, 2013	Richard E. Robbins	Aminatta Forna Edwidge Danticat Maaza Mengiste Zarghuna Kargar Marie Arana Mona Eltahawy Manjushree Thapa Sooni Taraporevala Loung Ung	Martha Adams Richard E. Robbins Tom Yellin
Blackfish	July 19, 2013	Gabriela Cowperthwaite	Gabriela Cowperthwaite Eli B. Despres	Manny Oteyza Gabriela Cowperthwaite	^[17]
	March 10, 2013	Matthew Heineman Susan Froemke	Matthew Heineman Susan Froemke	Matthew Heineman Susan Froemke
The Flag	September 4, 2013	Michael Tucker Petra Epperlein
Our Nixon	August 1, 2013	Penny Lane		Brian L. Frye Penny Lane
Pandora's Promise	November 7, 2013	Robert Stone	TBA	Jim Swartz Susan Swartz
An Unreal Dream: The Michael Morton Story	December 5, 2013	Al Reinert
Sole Survivor	January 9, 2014	Ky Dickens	Ky Dickens	Susan Aurinko Alexis Jaworski Amy McIntyre
41ON41	June 15, 2014	Lisa Lax Nancy Stern Winters		Lisa Lax Nancy Stern Winters
	June 27, 2014	Joe Berlinger		Joe Berlinger Caroline Suh
Life Itself	July 4, 2014	Steve James	TBA	Garrett Basch	^[18]
Documented	June 29, 2014	Jose Antonio Vargas Ann Lupo	Jose Antonio Vargas	Jose Antonio Vargas
Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story	September 4, 2014	Mark Herzog Sandrine Orabona		Mark Herzog Christopher Cowen
More than a Game	October 24, 2014	Kristopher Belman	Kristopher Belman Brad Hogan	Kristopher Belman Harvey Mason, Jr. Kevin Mann Matthew Perniciaro
Ivory Tower	November 20, 2014	Andrew Rossi	Andrew Rossi	Andrew Rossi Kate Novack
Dinosaur 13	December 11, 2014	Todd Douglas Miller	TBA	Todd Douglas Miller
Sunshine Superman	May 22, 2016		Marah Strauch	Marah Strauch Eric Bruggemann
	June 28, 2015	James Keach		James Keach Trevor Albert
Fresh Dressed	September 3, 2015	Sacha Jenkins	Sacha Jenkins	Nasir Jones Marcus A. Clarke	^[19]
	September 4, 2016	Alex Gibney	Alex Gibney	Alex Gibney
The Hunting Ground	November 22, 2015	Kirby Dick	Kirby Dick	Amy Ziering
Holy Hell	September 1, 2016	Will Allen		Will Allen Tracey Harnish Alexandra Johnes
We Will Rise	October 12, 2016
Enlighten Us: The Rise and Fall of James Arthur Ray	December 3, 2016	Jenny Carchman		Allyson Luchak
Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago	January 1, 2017	Peter Pardini		Chicago
Unseen Enemy	April 7, 2017	Janet Tobias	Janet Tobias	Janet Tobias Peter Klein Rogger Lopez Michael Erhenzwei
Elián	August 24, 2017	Ross McDonnell Tim Golden	Tim Golden	Alex Gibney Trevor Birney
The Reagan Show	September 4, 2017	Pacho Velez Sierra Pettengill	Francisco Bello Josh Alexander	Dan Cogan Amy Entelis Houston King Regina Scully
Legion of Brothers	September 24, 2017	Greg Barker		Amy Entelis Vinnie Malhotra
Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent	November 12, 2017	Lydia Tenaglia		Susan Porretta
Trophy	January 14, 2018	Shaul Schwarz Christina Clusiau		Lauren Haber Julia Nottingham
RBG	May 4, 2018	Betsy West Julie Cohen		Betsy West Julie Cohen
Three Identical Strangers	June 29, 2018	Tim Wardle		Becky Read Grace Hughes-Hallett
American Jail	July 1, 2018	Roger Ross Williams	Roger Ross Williams	Roger Ross Williams Femke Wolting Bruno Felix
Love, Gilda	September 21, 2018	Lisa Dapolito		Bronwyn Berry Lisa Dapolito James Tumminia
Apollo 11	March 1, 2019	Todd Douglas Miller		Todd Douglas Miller Thomas Petersen Evan Krauss
Scandalous	November 15, 2019	Mark Landsman
	January 1, 2020	Rob Epstein Jeffrey Friedman		James Keach Michele Farinola Rob Epstein Jeffrey Friedman
	September 27, 2020	Dawn Porter		Erika Alexander Ben Arnon
	May 31, 2021	Salima Koroma		Salima Koroma	^[20]
LFG	June 24, 2021	Andrea Nix Fine Sean Fine		Andrea Nix Fine Sean Fine Abby Greensfelder	^[21]
	June 27, 2021	Laura Fairrie		John Battsek Lizzie Gillett Stuart Ford Amy Entelis Courtney Sexton Mark Bell Bonnie Voland Andrew Ruhemann	^[22]
	July 16, 2021	Morgan Neville		Morgan Neville Caitrin Rogers	^[23]
The Lost Sons	September 26, 2021	Ursula Macfarlane		Amy Entelis Courtney Sexton Ross M. Dinerstein Liesel Evans Gagan Rehill	^[24]
Julia	November 5, 2021	Julie Cohen Betsy West		Julie Cohen Betsy West Justin Wilkes Sara Bernstein Ron Howard Brian Grazer Alex Prud'homme Bob Spitz	^[25]
The Hunt for Planet B	November 20, 2021	Nathaniel Kahn		Nathaniel Kahn Bonnie Hlinomaz Sandra Evers-Manly Carleen Beste Matt Mountain Lawrence B. Benenson Gerry Ohrstrom Alberto Conti	^[26] ^[27]
Citizen Ashe	December 3, 2021	Rex Miller Sam Pollard		Rex Miller Steven Cantor Anna Godas Jamie Schultz Beth Hubbard Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe	^[28]
Carole King & James Taylor: Just Call Out My Name	January 2, 2022	Frank Marshall		Frank Marshall	^[29]
Navalny	April 11, 2022	Daniel Roher		Daniel Roher	^[30]
Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down	July 15, 2022	Julie Cohen Betsy West		Lisa Espramer Sam Jinishian	^[31]
	March 5, 2023	Salima Koroma		Ken Druckerman Banks Tarver Amy Entelis Courtney Sexton Dylan Abruscato Brandon Teitel Olivia Snyder-Spak Kevin Vargas	^[32]
	April 21, 2023	Lisa Cortés		Lisa Cortés Robert Friedman Liz Yale Marsh Caryn Caputosto Mike Powers Gus Wenner Jason Fine	^[33]

Notes and References

1. News: CNN To Start Documentary Film Unit. HuffPost. April 30, 2013. October 8, 2012.
2. Web site: Benzine. Adam. CNN launches feature docs division with 'Girl Rising'. Real Screen. April 30, 2013. October 8, 2012.
3. Web site: CNN Announces Creation Of CNN Films. Foxtel. April 30, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130519055227/http://www.foxtel.com.au/whats-on/foxtel-insider/cnn-announces-creation-of-cnn-films-201771.htm. May 19, 2013. dead.
4. Web site: Lieberman. David. CNN Creates Unit To Acquire Documentary Films For Theaters And TV. Deadline Hollywood. April 30, 2013. October 8, 2012.
5. News: Flint. Joe. CNN's creation of film unit is step in right direction. Los Angeles Times. April 30, 2013. October 8, 2012.
6. Web site: Raftery. Liz. Girl Rising to Help Launch CNN Films. TV Guide. April 30, 2013. October 8, 2012.
7. Web site: Patten. Dominic. Sundance: CNN Films Makes Buying Debut; Announces Trio Of Documentaries. Deadline Hollywood. April 30, 2013. January 18, 2013.
8. News: Miller. Daniel. Sundance 2013: CNN Films Announces Three Documentaries. The Hollywood Reporter. April 30, 2013. January 18, 2013.
9. Web site: Patten. Dominic. CNN Films Acquires 'Escape Fire' U.S. TV Rights; Healthcare Doc To Air In March. Deadline Hollywood. April 30, 2013. March 1, 2013.
10. News: CNN Films: 'Escape Fire' Debuts on CNN on March 10 at 8pm ET. CNN. May 1, 2013. March 1, 2013.
11. News: Guthrie. Marisa. CNN Films Snaps Up Richard Nixon Documentary (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. April 30, 2013. April 24, 2013.
12. News: Fleischer. Matthew. CNN Films acquires SXSW doc 'Our Nixon' to air on the network in August. April 30, 2013. April 24, 2013. Los Angeles Times.
13. News: CNN Films and Cinedigm Acquire 'Our Nixon'. CNN. April 30, 2013. April 24, 2013.
14. News: Fleischer. Matthew. CNN continues acquisition spree with 'Pandora's Promise'. Los Angeles Times. May 1, 2013. April 30, 2013.
15. News: CNN Films Announces Acquisition of 'Pandora's Promise' for Fall 2013 Broadcast. CNN. May 1, 2013. April 30, 2013.
16. Web site: CNN Films, BBC Team on Documentary Showing Race to Create Coronavirus Vaccine. Variety. 10 December 2020. 11 December 2020. Brian Steinberg.
17. News: Kaufman. Amy. 'Blackfish' has SeaWorld in hot water. Los Angeles Times. April 30, 2013. January 25, 2013.
18. Web site: Koziarki. Ed M.. James starts doc production on Roger Ebert's memoir. Reel Chicago. April 30, 2013. February 5, 2013.
19. News: Sacha Jenkins Talks Art, Culture and 'The Burning of Kingston' . The Boom Box . July 8, 2014 . December 11, 2014.
20. Web site: CNN Sets May Airdate For 'Dreamland: The Burning Of Black Wall Street' From LeBron James' SpringHill – Update. Deadline Hollywood. Patrick. Hipes. May 11, 2021. May 30, 2021.
21. Web site: HBO Max Sets Docu 'LFG' Following U.S. Women's National Soccer Team's Fight For Equality; First Teaser Released. Deadline Hollywood. Dino. Day-Ramos. March 8, 2021. May 22, 2021.
22. Web site: Jackie Collins Doc 'Lady Boss' Lined Up By AGC Studios, CNN Films, BBC Arts & 'Searching For Sugar Man' Outfit Passion Pictures. Deadline Hollywood. Andreas. Wiseman. August 9, 2019. May 31, 2021.
23. Web site: Anthony Bourdain Documentary 'Roadrunner' Hitting Theaters This Summer. Variety. Rebecca. Rubin. April 23, 2021. April 23, 2021.
24. Web site: CNN Films to Develop Stranger-Than-Fiction Documentary 'The Lost Sons'. Variety. Rebecca. Rubin. January 14, 2021. March 14, 2021.
25. Web site: Sony Classics Acquires World Rights To Julia Child Doc By 'RBG' Directors, Imagine & CNN Films. Deadline Hollywood. Andreas. Wiseman. April 17, 2020. June 15, 2020.
26. Web site: The Hunt for Planet B. CNN Creative Marketing. December 17, 2021.
27. Web site: THE HUNT FOR PLANET B From Director Nathaniel Kahn. The Hunt for Planet B. December 17, 2021.
28. Web site: CNN Films and HBO Max Partner to Bring Citizen Ashe to Screens; Film is Produced by Dogwoof, Rexpix and Stick Figure Productions. CNN. July 15, 2021. September 3, 2021.
29. Web site: Carole King & James Taylor Documentary From Frank Marshall Set For CNN & HBO Max. Deadline Hollywood. Denise. Petski. October 19, 2021. October 19, 2021.
30. News: Alexei Navalny Documentary Set From CNN Films & HBO Max. Deadline Hollywood. Pedersen. Erik. January 13, 2022.
31. Web site: ‘RBG’ Filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen to Direct Gabby Giffords Documentary. Variety. Brent. Lang. January 26, 2022. April 22, 2022.
32. Web site: ‘Glitch: The Rise And Fall Of HQ Trivia’ First Look: CNN Films Doc Presses Play On Wildly Popular Game App That Exploded Then Imploded. Deadline Hollywood. Matthew. Carey. February 3, 2023. February 3, 2023.
33. Web site: ‘CNN Films, HBO Max Commission LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING (w.t.) Produced By Bungalow Media + Entertainment. CNN.