CNN Films Announces Broadcast Premiere of "Prime Minister" on Sunday, November 16 at 9pm ET/PT

CNN Streaming Exclusive Roundtable Discussion Hosted by Abby Phillip After the Film

NEW YORK - (November 3, 2025) - CNN Films will broadcast the television premiere of the critically acclaimed feature documentary Prime Minister. From award-winning filmmakers Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz, the feature documentary is a rare, intimate portrait of the tenure of New Zealand's former prime minister, Jacinda Ardern. Presented by CNN Films, HBO Documentary Films, and Madison Wells, the film will premiere on Sunday, November 16 at 9pm ET/PT on CNN. Prime Minister will be available to stream the next day for subscribers of CNN's All Access streaming offering.

Filmed over seven years, Prime Minister is an unflinching look at Ardern's extraordinary political career, tracing her unexpected ascent to leadership in 2017, when at 37 she became one of the youngest heads of state in the world and the second ever to give birth while in office. Spotlighting her compassionate response to national tragedy and her global influence as a voice for empathy in politics, Prime Minister captures a leader who defied convention and inspired millions while navigating relentless public scrutiny and personal challenges.

Following the premiere, CNN Anchor Abby Phillip will host a special roundtable conversation - available exclusively for CNN All Access subscribers - exploring the themes of Prime Minister, including empathetic leadership and the evolving role of compassion in global politics. The discussion will feature notable women thought leaders, journalists, and cultural figures reflecting on Ardern's legacy and her unique leadership style.

The film offers unprecedented access to Ardern's private and political life through candid interviews, intimate home interviews, and rare archival material from her time in office. As Ardern steps away from public life, Prime Minister provides a powerful reflection on leadership, motherhood, and the demands of governing in an age of misinformation and division.

Prime Minister is directed by Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz and produced by Cass Avery, Clarke Gayford, Leon Kirkbeck, Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane, and Katie Peck. Executive producers are Chris Matson and Michael Cleaver. The film is presented by Magnolia Pictures, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films, and Madison Wells and is a Dark Doris production in association with Divergent Pictures.

Prime Minister streams live for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps on Sunday, November 16. It will also be available on demand beginning Monday, November 17 to CNN's All Access subscribers and pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps, and Cable Operator Platforms.

Prime Minister had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary. The film was released theatrically by Magnolia Pictures and is currently available to stream on HBO Max.

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About CNN Originals

The CNN Originals group develops, produces and acquires original, long-form unscripted programming for CNN Worldwide. Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent, CNN Originals and creative development, oversees the award-winning CNN Originals portfolio that includes the following premium content brands: CNN Original Series, CNN Films, CNN Flashdocs, and CNN Studios. Since 2012, the team has overseen and executive produced more than 45 multi-part documentary series and 60 feature-length documentary films, earning more than 110 awards and 445 nominations for the cable network, including CNN Films' first Academy Award(R) for Navalny. Acclaimed titles include the Peabody Award winning and 13-time Emmy(R) Award-winning Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown; five time Emmy(R) nominee, Apollo 11, directed by Todd Douglas Miller; Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid directed by Matt Tyrnauer; Emmy(R) nominated Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico; the Emmy(R) Award-nominated "Decades Series": The Sixties, The Seventies, The Eighties, The Nineties, The 2000s, and The 2010s, executive produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman; The Last Movie Stars, directed by Ethan Hawke about the lives and careers of actors and humanitarians Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman; the Emmy(R) Award winning Little Richard: I Am Everything, directed by Lisa Cortés; Luther Vandross: Never Too Much, directed by Dawn Porter; The Many Lives of Martha Stewart; Primetime Emmy(R) and duPont-Columbia Award-winning, RBG, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen; See It Loud: The History of Black Television, executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter; Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight in partnership with the BBC; the Producers Guild Award and three-time Emmy(R) Award-winning Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy; This is Life with Lisa Ling; BAFTA nominee and Directors Guild Award winner, Three Identical Strangers, directed by Tim Wardle; the five-time Emmy(R) Award-winning United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell; the American version of the long-running UK comedy series, Have I Got News For You, hosted by Roy Wood Jr; and the six-time Emmy(R) Award-winning The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. CNN Originals can be seen on CNN, the CNN Original Hub on Max and discovery+, the CNN Originals FAST channel, and for pay TV subscription via CNN.com, CNN apps and cable operator platforms.

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