PRESS RELEASE

Contact:
Joanna Topor MacKenzie
Associate Director, CIDF
joanna.topor@gmail.com
cell: 773.517.6228

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Attention: Entertainment Writers and Editors

HBO Documentary Films to Receive Genius Award at
2007 Chicago International Documentary Festival

Chicago, IL – The Chicago International Documentary Festival (CIDF) announced today that HBO Documentary Films will be honored with the 2007 Genius Award, to be presented during the festival’s Opening Night Gala Friday March 30th, 2007, for their inspirational programming, production of documentary films steadfast commitment to Documentary Cinema. Greg Rhem, Manager of HBO Documentary Film Programming, will be present to accept the award.

The CIDF is also proud to announce that it will feature premiere HBO documentaries at this year’s fest: The World Premiere of Have You Seen Andy? by Melanie Perkins, which will screen as part of the Grand Prix Competition; Ghosts of Abu Ghraib by Rory Kennedy, which will screen as part of the Ultimate Docs Competition, and the Academy-nominated Recycled Life by Leslie Iwerks as well as the Oscar winning The Blood of Yingzhou District by Ruby Yang, which will screen as part of the Short Grand Prix Competition. Screening times for the film is available at www.chicagodocfestival.org

The Opening Reception will be held at the Society for Arts (1112 N. Milwaukee Ave.) from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. From there guests will be offered charter buses to the Pritzker Auditorium located in the Harold Washington Library Center (401 Plymouth Ct. entrance) where the award ceremony will take place at 8:00 pm. HBO Documentary Films offers a full spectrum of stellar, non-fiction programming by acclaimed documentary filmmakers. Taking viewers from the little-known, hidden corners of society, to the incredible lives of the world’s fascinating inhabitants and from the shocking reality that is everyday America to astonishing destinations around the world, HBO and Cinemax’s powerful, uncompromising films are among the most critically-acclaimed and award-winning programs within the documentary genre.

Recent films include an unprecedented 14-part series, multi-platform initiative, Addiction, by a collection of noted documentary filmmakers, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, When the Levees Broke, Thin, Baghdad ER, Friends of God: A Road Trip with Alexandra Pelosi, The Journalist and the Jihadi and the Oscar® winning Born Into Brothels and The Blood of Yingzhou District.

HBO's upcoming documentary films include such provocative presentations as Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg’s The Trials of Darryl Hunt, and Wide Awake by critically acclaimed director Alan Berliner.

HBO Documentary Films’ steadfast commitment to timely and engaging filmmaking has earned them virtually every major programming award, including the Emmy®, the Academy Award®, the Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Award and the George Foster Peabody Award.