or


[06/02/15 - 08:59 AM]
"Requiem for the Dead: American Spring 2014," A Thought-Provoking Look at the Lives and Untimely Deaths of People Killed by Gun Violence in America, Debuts June 22, Exclusively on HBO
The film details victims' lives in the moments leading up to the shootings and shows how each death reverberates in the lives of others.

[via press release from HBO]

"REQUIEM FOR THE DEAD: AMERICAN SPRING 2014," A THOUGHT-PROVOKING LOOK AT THE LIVES AND UNTIMELY DEATHS OF PEOPLE KILLED BY GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA, DEBUTS JUNE 22, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

Emmy(R) Winners Shari Cookson And Nick Doob Direct

More than 32,000 people die from gun violence every year in America, an average of 88 people per day. REQUIEM FOR THE DEAD: AMERICAN SPRING 2014 highlights a few of the estimated 8,000 individuals who died from gunfire that spring, drawing exclusively on found media - news accounts, police investigations and social media - to shine a light on little-known stories of tragic loss, bringing the victims to life in their own words and images.

Directed by Shari Cookson and Nick Doob (HBO's Emmy(R)-winning "The Memory Loss Tapes" and Emmy(R)-nominated "Paycheck to Paycheck: The Life & Times of Katrina Gilbert"), this timely documentary debuts MONDAY, JUNE 22 (9:00-10:15 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: June 22 (4:35 a.m.), 25 (5:00 p.m.) and 28 (3:45 p.m.), and July 3 (9:00 a.m.), 4 (12:30 p.m.), 9 (12:15 p.m.) and 14 (3:35 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: June 24 (noon, 8:00 p.m.) and July 7 (12:10 a.m.), 12 (8:30 a.m.) and 31 (8:15 a.m.)

From a Facebook status update to a post on Instagram, from a newspaper headline to on-the-scene video, REQUIEM FOR THE DEAD details victims' lives in the moments leading up to the shootings and shows how each death reverberates in the lives of others.

Whether by homicide, accident or suicide, a wide cross-section of Americans - men and women, young and old, from every racial background - are victims and perpetrators of gun violence. With images from social media postings, frantic 911 calls, police reports and videos, each story is hauntingly laid out through the unmediated expressions that remain. REQUIEM FOR THE DEAD places the viewer in victims' and their families' lives, capturing the shock and grief felt by their loved ones as the survivors are left to make sense of the horrific events.

Among the eight stories from 2014 are:

"Military Wife" - By all appearances, Kyla and Alex Ryng lived a happy life with three young children in Bristol, Conn. But the pair began having marital issues, and Kyla filed for divorce. Alex, a member of the Army National Guard, bought a gun, and shot his wife and himself a few days later while the kids were in their bedrooms.

"My Rock Is Gone" - Tiffany Davenport married Melvin Ray in Topeka, Kan. on May 24. But the couple's joy turned to tragedy in the early hours of the next morning, when she was killed in the crossfire of a gang shootout, leaving her new husband and daughter, Destiny, devastated.

"In the Other Room" - Drafted by the Green Bay Packers, Jerel Worthy was always excited when his grandma, Mae Worthy, came to his games. When a gun handled by his grandfather discharged in the bedroom of his grandparents' Huber Heights, Ohio home, the bullet passed through the wall and into the living room where Mae was sitting, striking her in the head and killing her.

"Best Friends" - Lucas and Brady were 11-year-old best friends in Frazeysburg, Ohio, who liked to bike and play video games together. When Brady went into his dad's bedroom one day to show Lucas a loaded pistol under the bed, it accidentally went off, shooting Lucas in the heart. Brady made a frantic 911 call, but it was too late.

"My Most Beautiful Memory" - Eight days before Father's Day, Renotta Jernigan of Chesterfield, Va. asked her husband, Chris, who had trouble holding a job and was suffering from depression, for a divorce. On Father's Day, Chris shot and killed her and their two children (ages nine and two) before killing himself.

Bridging these main stories are dozens of headlines, brief, stark and shocking, coupled with vibrant photos of the people whose deaths are recounted. The film contains imagery for more than a hundred victims of gun violence in spring 2014, which is a small fraction of the 8,000-plus estimated to have died in that three-month period.

"As vérité filmmakers, we seek the authentic voice of our subjects," explain directors Shari Cookson and Nick Doob. "So in this case, we turned to social media as a way to find that voice. It was a kind of frozen time capsule, where we found our subjects engaged in their everyday lives, often until just before the shooting occurred. This became the heart of the film, the verite."

In addition to found footage, REQUIEM uses 38 pieces of preexisting music from the internet, each with its own life and intrinsic emotion, which frame the moments collected.

As the stories accumulate, it becomes evident how many of these incidents could have been prevented by proper mental-health treatment, or if guns were absent or stored more securely.

Shari Cookson and Nick Doob won an Emmy(R) for 2009's "The Memory Loss Tapes," part of HBO's "The Alzheimer's Project." Their other HBO projects include the Emmy(R)-nominated "Paycheck to Paycheck: The Life & Times of Katrina Gilbert," the Emmy(R)-nominated "The Weight of the Nation for Kids: The Great Cafeteria Takeover" and "Quiz Ed!," the Emmy(R) nominees "All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise" (Cookson) and "Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen" (Cookson), and the Emmy(R)-winning "Elaine Stritch: At Liberty" (Doob).

REQUIEM FOR THE DEAD: AMERICAN SPRING 2014 was directed and produced by Shari Cookson and Nick Doob; executive producer, Sheila Nevins; senior producer, Nancy Abraham; producer, Sascha Weiss; edited by Shari Cookson, Nick Doob, Charlton McMillan.





  [june 2015]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[09/24/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Nobody Wants This" - Season 3 Official Trailer - Netflix
Joanne and Noah take their relationship to the next level amid sibling drama, maternal meddling and one giant leap of faith.

[09/24/26 - 06:11 AM]
Video: "Madden" - Official Trailer - Prime Video
Football wouldn't be football, without Madden.

[09/24/26 - 06:03 AM]
Video: "Treasure Island" (MGM+ 2026 Series) Official Trailer
A high-stakes reinvention of the classic, "Treasure Island" follows teenager Jim Hawkins and his formidable mother Bess as they're pulled into a deadly race for the treasure of the infamous Captain Flint.

[09/24/26 - 06:01 AM]
Apple TV Unveils First Look at "The Wanted Man"
The riveting eight-episode series will premiere globally on Wednesday, January 6, 2027, with the first two episodes, followed by one episode every Wednesday through February 17, 2027.

[09/24/26 - 05:18 AM]
Taylor Swift's New Single "Patient Zero" Music Video to World Premiere During the "2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs)" Sunday, Sept. 27 on CBS
"Patient Zero" is Taylor Swift's new song from The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, which is available to stream everywhere tomorrow, Friday, September 25.

[09/24/26 - 05:01 AM]
Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua to Collide in Generation-Defining Heavyweight Showdown at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, Streaming Live on Netflix Friday, December 11
Widely regarded as two of the defining heavyweights of their era, Fury and Joshua have spent years atop the sport, collecting world championships and fueling one of boxing's most anticipated rivalries.

[09/23/26 - 04:00 PM]
Peacock Greenlights Gripping New Documentary "OJ's Accomplice"
The two-part documentary is set to premiere in December 2026.

[09/23/26 - 02:46 PM]
Paula Patton and Derek Luke Reunite Onscreen for New Lifetime Romance "Love on the Vineyard" as Part of the Love of a Lifetime Fall Slate
Patton stars as Jordan Wilson, a successful Washington, D.C., commercial real estate executive who returns to Martha's Vineyard with her teenage daughter after years away.

[09/23/26 - 01:25 PM]
David Mitchell Is Back on the Case, Breakout Mystery "Ludwig" Returns for Season Two on BritBox
Other October highlights include new seasons of "Celebrity Escape to the Country," "Time," and "Would I Lie to You?"

[09/23/26 - 11:01 AM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of September 14
"Reacher," "Neagley," "Sterling Point," "El Juicio," and "The Grand Tour" led all original series worldwide.

[09/23/26 - 11:00 AM]
Dolly Parton Tribute with Performance by Kacey Musgraves Set for the "2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs)" Sunday, Sept. 27 on CBS
With three career nods, Musgraves is nominated this year in Best Country for "Dry Spell."

[09/23/26 - 10:31 AM]
"A Man on the Inside" Season 3 Adds New Guest Stars
The series will come to a conclusion when it returns for its third and final season, which begins production in San Francisco, California.

[09/23/26 - 10:23 AM]
NBC Debuts "St. Denis Medical" Season Three First Look
The series returns Monday, November 2 on the network.

[09/23/26 - 10:07 AM]
Blood, Benders and the Bridge: Paramount+ Is Headed to New York Comic Con with "Dexter: Resurrection," "Avatar: Seven Havens" and "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy"
From October 8-10, con-goers can catch first-looks, cast conversations and exclusive reveals from the three series.

[09/23/26 - 10:03 AM]
FOX Sports Feasts on Multi-Platform Presentation of 2026 NFL Thanksgiving Day Game Across FOX, FOX One, Tubi and FOX Deportes
This year's massive Thanksgiving Day game features the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles live in 4K.