HBO Films Presents A Pariah Production; Directed By Shari Springer Berman And Robert Pulcini; Written By David Seltzer; Gavin Polone And Zanne Devine Executive Produce; Karyn McCarthy Produces
In 1973, the Loud family became a television sensation of a new kind. It was long before a metal rock star showed his eccentric family on the small screen and decades before housewives had screaming matches with each other on camera in public.
CINEMA VERITE tells the behind-the-scenes story of the groundbreaking 12-hour PBS documentary series "An American Family," which chronicled the lives of the Louds in the early 1970s and catapulted the Santa Barbara family to notoriety while creating a new genre: the reality TV series. Oscar(R), Golden Globe and Emmy(R) nominee Diane Lane ("Secretariat," "Unfaithful"), Oscar(R) and Golden Globe winner Tim Robbins ("Mystic River," "Dead Man Walking") and Golden Globe and Emmy(R) winner James Gandolfini ("Where the Wild Things Are," HBO's "The Sopranos") star in the HBO Films presentation, directed by Oscar(R) nominees Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini ("The Nanny Diaries," HBO's "American Splendor") and written by David Seltzer ("The Omen," "Punchline"). CINEMA VERITE debuts SATURDAY, APRIL 23 (9:00-10:45 p.m. ET/PT).
Other HBO playdates: April 23 (2:00 a.m.), 24 (6:00 p.m.) and 26 (11:30 a.m., 9:00 p.m.) and May 1 (4:45 p.m., 1:00 a.m.), 6 (1:15 p.m., 8:00 p.m.), 7 (11:45 a.m.), 9 (12:30 p.m., 9:00 p.m.), 12 (4:30 p.m., 11:45 p.m.), 15 (10:15 a.m.) and 17 (midnight)
HBO2 playdates: April 28 (9:15 a.m., 9:00 p.m.) and May 4 (midnight), 8 (10:45 a.m., 8:00 p.m.), 13 (1:15 p.m.), 18 (2:30 p.m., 11:00 p.m.), 21 (5:00 p.m., 3:05 a.m.), 23 (5:15 p.m.) and 29 (10:00 p.m.)
The film also stars Patrick Fugit ("Almost Famous," "Saved!"), Kathleen Quinlan ("Apollo 13," "A Civil Action"), Lolita Davidovich ("Hollywood Homicide," "Gods and Monsters") and Shanna Collins ("Swingtown," "In My Sleep"). The Loud children are played by Thomas Dekker ("Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," "A Nightmare on Elm Street") as Lance; Johnny Simmons ("Scott Pilgram vs. The World," "Jennifer's Body") as Kevin; Nick Eversman ("The Runaway," "Vampires Suck") as Grant; Caitlin Custer ("Memphis Beat," "Swingtown") as Delilah; and Kaitlyn Dever ("Justified," "Bad Teacher") as Michele.
CINEMA VERITE is an HBO Films presentation of a Pariah Production; Gavin Polone ("Gilmore Girls," HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm") and Zanne Devine ("Easy A," "The Guardian") executive produce; Karyn McCarthy ("Syriana," HBO's "John Adams") produces.
"An American Family" was a total departure from the television shows of the time when it aired in 1973, and brought public scrutiny to a family unprepared for the consequences. CINEMA VERITE shows how the Louds were thrust into the spotlight as parents Pat (Diane Lane) and Bill (Tim Robbins) struggled with their marriage while raising their children. In particular, Pat was criticized for asking for a divorce and for her support of her openly gay son Lance (Thomas Dekker) at a time when homosexuality was rarely represented on television.
CINEMA VERITE gives a behind-the-scenes look at how the original PBS series was created by filmmaker Craig Gilbert (James Gandolfini), focusing on the seven-month period in 1971 when the original footage was filmed. While he aimed to have an impact on culture, he also felt that the family's struggles were relatable to many Americans in a way that the Brady Bunch and the Partridge Family were not. The crew of Alan and Susan Raymond (Patrick Fugit, Shanna Collins), who did the filming, were often at odds with Gilbert about what content was appropriate to shoot.
