The Documentary Channel chronicles the full spectrum of real life, from war,
history and politics, to fashion, photography and fascinating people. This fall,
CHRISTINA POCHMURSKY, journalist, documentary filmmaker and Executive Producer
at The Documentary Channel introduces a riveting new series entitled Reporter’s
Voice. This series examines the work and lives of Canada’s top foreign
correspondents. From war zones in the Middle East to atrocities in Third World
countries, these esteemed journalists – ANN MEDINA, JOE SCHLESINGER, NEIL
MACDONALD, BRIAN STEWART and ANNA MARIA TREMONTI and others – discuss their
remarkable experiences, interspersed with enlightening documentary footage.
Pochmursky also hosts the second season of In Camera, featuring Canada’s top
independent filmmakers.

In September, VALERIE PRINGLE – Canada’s premier interviewer – brings her unique
energy and insight to a series of intimate and in-depth conversations with
today’s leading minds and provocative figures in popular culture, art,
entertainment and politics. The series, entitled Valerie, is a co-production of
The Documentary Channel and W Network, and will debut on W Network in January
2003. Stay tuned for more details.

In November, The Documentary Channel presents the Canadian television premiere
of KEN BURNS’ landmark Jazz series, a 10-part exploration of America’s
quintessential art form. New critically acclaimed documentaries airing this fall
include Nick Broomfield’s magnetic and outspoken dissections of modern culture:
Kurt & Courtney, Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam, Fetishes, and Tracking Down
Maggie: The Unofficial Biography of Margaret Thatcher. Other new documentaries
premiering this fall include Heroines, Better Living Through Circuitry,
E-Dreams, Fight To The Max, The Farm, The Wildest Show In The South, and HBO’s
Bounce: Behind the Velvet Rope, an exciting ride into the high-flying nightspots
of New York and London.

The Documentary Channel continues to present new documentaries from the National
Film Board of Canada, as well as weekend festivals that focus on documentaries
and feature films devoted to a single theme. After midnight, The Documentary
Channel airs edgy, provocative programming for late-night viewers, including
HBO’s Taxicab Confessions and G-String Divas.

NEW SERIES ON THE DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL

Reporter’s Voice
Premiere date: September 2002

This fall, CHRISTINA POCHMURSKY, journalist, documentary filmmaker and Executive
Producer at The Documentary Channel introduces a riveting new series entitled
Reporter’s Voice. With new episodes airing three nights a week, the series
examines the work and lives of Canada’s top foreign correspondents. From the war
zones in the Middle East to the atrocities in Rwanda, these esteemed journalists
— Ann Medina, Joe Schlesinger, Bill Cunningham, Nancy Durham and Anna Maria
Tremonti among others — discuss their remarkable experiences, interspersed with
enlightening documentary footage.

Valerie
Premiere date: September 2002

In September, VALERIE PRINGLE – Canada’s premier interviewer – brings her unique
energy and insight to a series of intimate and in-depth conversations with
today’s leading minds and provocative figures in popular culture, art,
entertainment and politics. The series, entitled Valerie, is a co-production of
The Documentary Channel and W Network, and will debut on W Network in January
2003. Stay tuned for more details.

Jazz
Premiere date: November 2002

“Ken Burns’ history of jazz is the best American documentary film I have ever
seen. Period.” New York Post

KEN BURNS’ landmark documentary series, Jazz, presents the history of America’s
quintessential art form. Combining archival footage with fascinating interviews
and engaging biographies of jazz’s greatest figures, the far-reaching epic
paints the cultural landscape of the 20th century and raises questions about
race and class, art and commerce.


DOCUMENTARY HIGHLIGHTS

The Documentary Channel presents a quartet of entertaining NICK BROOMFIELD
documentaries. The British documentarian pushes the envelope with his running
chronicle of controversial subjects, seedy subculture and prominent public
figures.

Kurt & Courtney
Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam
Fetishes
Tracking Down Maggie: The Unofficial Biography of Margaret Thatcher
Premiere date: September 2002

In Kurt & Courtney (1998), Broomfield delves into the life and suicide of
heroin-sated rock star, Kurt Cobain, and explores allegations of his murder from
crackpot ex-lovers and drug-addicted musicians. The documentary triggered a
sensational scandal when it was pulled from the 1998 Sundance Film Festival over
legal threats from Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love.

Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam (1995) is a hilarious look at the infamous
celebrity hustler. In his bid to track her down, Broomfield encounters a bizarre
mix of people — pimps, madams, call girls, informers and hookers — and
introduces viewers to the sleazy and sinister side of Hollywood.

In Fetishes (1996), mistresses from a house of bondage talk about their craft.
Filmed at Pandora’s Box, an upscale S&M parlour in New York, the documentary
reveals the full range of fetishes, from rubber and infantilism, to asphyxiation
and mummification.

Tracking Down Maggie: The Unofficial Biography of Margaret Thatcher (1994)
brings new meaning to the phrase “access denied”. Broomfield exhibits Thatcher’s
enigmatic and unpenetrable qualities that other biographies have alluded to in
this wild goose chase with the Iron Lady.

Cool and Crazy
Premiere date: September 2002

Winner of the 2001 Edinburgh Film Festival’s “Best of the Fest”, Cool and Crazy
(2001) depicts the mighty Norsemen of the Berlevag Male Choir. Perched on the
edge of the Barent Sea, singing a cappella and dressed in navy suit jackets, bow
ties and white sailor caps, these men are as resolute as their Viking ancestors.
The men from this remote Norwegian fishing village face a throng of hardships –
unforgiving Arctic weather, a dreadful economy and very little female
companionship – yet they manage to find purpose and even fame in their dedicated
musical companionship.

Bounce: Behind The Velvet Rope
Premiere date: September 2002

HBO’s Bounce: Behind The Velvet Rope (2001) explores the life of the nightclub
bouncer - apparent muscle head and keeper of the peace. Filmed at high-flying
nightspots in New York and London and set to an energetic soundtrack, this
unflinching night journey gives a new perspective to life behind the velvet
rope.

Westray
Broadcast date: September 2002

Distinguished Canadian documentarian Paul Cowan reveals a grim and disturbing
account of the Westray mine disaster, which killed 26 men in Nova Scotia on May
9, 1992. Westray (2001) traces the stories of six people – three miners and
three widows – whose lives were forever changed that day. The film is aired in
conjunction with The Documentary Channel’s exclusive coverage of Paul Cowan’s
masterclass at Ryerson University.

Sex With Strangers
Premiere date: September 2002

From the producers of Taxicab Confessions comes Sex With Strangers (2002), an
intimate look at the swinger lifestyle. The documentary chronicles the lives of
three couples profoundly affected by the lifestyle they lead – from the euphoria
of fantasies fulfilled to the desperation and anger felt as relationships
splinter.

Bad Girl
Premiere date: September 2002

Bad Girl (2001) is a tour through the past 25 years of women’s sexual creativity
- from banned European art films to the conveyor belts of L.A.’s hardcore porn
industry. The documentary takes a hard look at the negative taboos associated
with female sexuality through the eyes of pro-porn sex activists, controversial
filmmakers, feminist philosophers and sexologists.

Heroines
Broadcast date: September 2002

Heroines (2001) immerses its audience in the world of forgotten women of the
street. With poems by Susan Musgrave and music by John Korsrud, this artistic
documentary explores a disturbing netherworld of addiction, prostitution and
survival in Vancouver’s downtown east side.

Better Living Through Circuitry
Premiere date: November 2002

Better Living Through Circuitry (2000) is an entertaining look at the electronic
dance community and the rave culture it has produced. In-depth interviews with
ravers, DJs and musicians provide insight about their music and ideals, and
their “spiritual transcendence” through sound and rhythm.

E-Dreams
Premiere date: November 2002

An intimate behind-the-scenes look at an Internet start-up, E-Dreams (2001)
chronicles the dramatic growth and the devastating decline of Kozmo.com and the
fate of its young, innovative co-founders. The documentary captures the highs
and lows of the dot-com frenzy.

The Farm
Premiere date: November 2002

The Farm (1998) is the first of three documentaries about the Louisiana State
Penitentiary at Angola, America’s infamous maximum-security prison. The
documentary tells an extraordinary story about life and death in prison. The
Louisiana State Penitentiary’s 18,000 acres stretch along the Mississippi River,
revealing landscapes of breathtaking beauty and fertile farm land, yet for the
5000 men who enter the gates for the first time as young men, never to leave
again, it is a place of suffering, made up of shattered lives and discarded
souls.

Fight To The Max
Premiere date: November 2002

Fight to the Max (2001) is a hard-hitting feature documentary that chronicles
the year-long journey to the Louisiana State Penitentiary boxing championships.
Told through the eyes of ex-convict Clifford “The Black Rhino” Ettienne, who
fought his way out of prison and now holds the IBF Heavyweight belt, this film
takes us deep into the harsh world of the Louisiana penal system.

The Wildest Show In The South: The Angola Prison Rodeo (1999)
Premiere date: November 2002

Each Sunday in October, over 6000 spectators come to Louisiana’s state
penitentiary to see one of America’s most unusual events: the Angola amateur
prison rodeo. With the chance to break the monotony of prison life, to get out
in front of a crowd and win a championship belt buckle, the inmates look forward
to this event all year long.

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Canadian production or co-production