SINGAPORE – Three HBO Original documentaries on the lives of three individuals – two personalities and a woman’s traumatic arrest, are set to premiere on HBO.
They include an illuminating documentary that celebrates the last years of singer, songwriter and actor, David Bowie’s life in David Bowie: The Last Five Years; a funny, intimate and heartbreaking portrait of one of the world’s most beloved and inventive actor and comedian, Robin Williams in Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind; and an Oscar-nominated film that recounts one woman’s life-changing encounter with the police in Traffic Stop.
All three films will premiere on HBO on 15 July, 17 July and 22 July respectively and will also be streaming on HBO GO and will be available on HBO On Demand.
David Bowie: The Last Five Years
This documentary explores the unexpected end to a remarkable career and celebrates the last years of Bowie’s life when he ended a decade of silence to engage in an extraordinary burst of activity, producing two groundbreaking albums and a musical. On the 2003-2004 “Reality” tour, David Bowie had a frightening brush with mortality, suffering a heart attack during what was to be his final full concert. He then disappeared from public view, only re-emerging in the last five years of his life to make some of the most important music of his career.
Made with remarkable access, Francis Whately’s documentary is a revelatory follow-up to his acclaimed 2013 documentary David Bowie: Five Years, which chronicled Bowie’s golden ‘70s and early-‘80s period. Featuring interviews with musicians, designers and video directors who worked with Bowie during this time, the documentary offers a fascinating insight into the creative skill that made Bowie one of the greatest artists of modern times.
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind
This explores William’s extraordinary life and career, revealing what drove him to give voice to the characters in his mind. With previously unheard and unseen glimpses into his creative process through interviews with Williams, as well as home movies and onstage footage, this insightful tribute features in-depth interviews with those who knew and loved him, including Billy Crystal, Eric Idle, Whoopi Goldberg, David Letterman, Steve Martin, Pam Dawber and his son, Zak Williams.
The documentary underscores what made Williams so unique, ranging from his youthful days in the San Francisco Bay area, to his time in New York at the Juilliard School, to his rocket-propelled fame on TV’s Mork & Mindy, to his profound impact on the American cultural landscape. Williams’ tragic death in 2014, which revealed he had been suffering from the disease Lewy Body Dementia, left fans around the world heartbroken.
Traffic Stop
This Oscar-nominated documentary tells the story of Breaion King, a 26-year-old African-American school teacher from Austin, Texas, who was stopped for a routine traffic violation that escalated into a dramatic arrest. Caught on police dashcams, King was pulled from her car by the arresting officer, repeatedly thrown to the ground and handcuffed. En route to jail in a squad car, she engaged in a revealing conversation with her escorting officer about race and law enforcement in America.
The documentary juxtaposes dashcam footage with scenes from King’s everyday life, offering a fuller portrait of the woman caught up in this unsettling encounter. Nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject, Traffic Stop illuminates timely, resonant issues of race and law enforcement while offering an intimate portrait of one woman in the wake of her traumatic arrest.
