HBO Unique Documentary Collection HOSTAGES Debuts September 28
HBO Documentary Movies’ Unique four-part documentary sequence HOSTAGES, a Present of Pressure Manufacturing, will debut WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT) with two episodes airing back-to-back, adopted by the ultimate two episodes airing back-to-back on Thursday, September 29 on the similar time on HBO. All 4 episodes of the sequence might be accessible to stream on HBO Max on September 28.
On November 4, 1979, Iranian scholar activists stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking up 60 People hostage. What was deliberate as a 48-hour sit-in to protest American imperialism, ballooned into a global disaster and 24/7 media occasion that might final 444 days. With never-before-seen archival footage and revelatory new interviews with the American hostages and Iranian hostage-takers alike, the sequence is a gripping chronicle of one of the vital dramatic worldwide deadlocks in American historical past, a deep dive into the geo-political historical past that led to the disaster, and an exploration of the political fallout that reverberates right this moment.
A riveting, intricate portrait of an occasion that made worldwide headlines, HOSTAGES unfolds with ticking-clock urgency via the 444-day ordeal, whereas the episodes additionally journey again in time to discover many years of the complicated, intertwined relations between the 2 international locations. The sequence trains its lens on the complexities of U.S./Iran relations that emerge from a historical past of covert CIA operations, high-rolling oil offers, deposed leaders, revolutionary idealism and spiritual fervor, a misplaced presidency, and backdoor arms gross sales.
Probing a spread of views on the difficult legacy of the disaster, the sequence brings groundbreaking historic moments to life via first-person accounts from former hostages, Iranian scholar revolutionaries and hostage-takers, diplomats, safety specialists, politicians and journalists in each international locations. Topics embrace: former hostages Al Golacinski, Kathryn Koob, Paul Lewis, John Limbert, Michael Metrinko, and Victor Tomseth; scholar revolutionary hostage-takers Ebrahim Asgharzadeh and Massoumeh Ebtekar; Gary Sick, Nationwide Safety Council and Persian Gulf specialist; Chris Matthews, speech author for President Carter; Mansour Farhang, former Iranian Ambassador to the UN; Mohsen Sazegara, former authorities official of the Islamic Republic of Iran and political dissident; Lesley Stahl, CBS White Home Correspondent; Robert Armao, spokesman for Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi; Abolhassan Bani-Sadr, former President of the Islamic Republic of Iran; and lots of extra.
Episode Descriptions
Half One: “The Peacock Throne”
Directed by Maro Chermayeff, Abbas Motlagh, and Sam Pollard
Debut Date: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
The sequence premiere units the stage for the political crucible of 1979, detailing how America and Iran went from deeply enmeshed allies to world adversaries. Because the U.S.-backed Shah flees his nation’s revolution in opposition to the surplus and repression of his regime, the spiritual cleric Ayatollah Khomeini rises to energy and an Islamic theocracy is put in place. The U.S. embassy, a logo of American imperialism and political interference to many within the area, falls below grave menace.
Half Two: “Den of Spies”
Directed by Maro Chermayeff, Abbas Motlagh, and Sam Pollard
Debut Date: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Exploring the unfolding chaos of the primary days of the hostage disaster, this episode illuminates the motivations and beliefs of the younger revolutionaries who breached the embassy partitions. Occasions take a flip when Khomeini sanctions the takeover and the hostage-taking turns into a watershed second of Khomeini’s repressive regime.
Half Three: “The Sand Storm”
Directed by Joshua Bennett & Abbas Motlagh
Debut Date: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
The episode focuses on President Jimmy Carter’s administration because the scenario reaches a boiling level and diplomatic efforts to safe the hostages’ launch fail. Carter decides to provoke army motion, however Operation Eagle Claw is a catastrophe. Eight U.S. service members die, and the destiny of the hostages hangs within the stability.
Half 4: “The Transaction”
Directed by Jeff Dupre & Abbas Motlagh
Debut Date: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
The sequence finale finds each Iran and America in an exhausting, entrenched stalemate one 12 months into the siege. Because the Carter administration works furiously to safe a deal, the presidential election of 1980 approaches. Finally, the hostages are launched on the day of Ronald Reagan’s inauguration, and lingering questions stay in regards to the function of the disaster within the American election. Though the U.S. hostages are in the end returned, the people on all sides are impacted for all times and the connection between the 2 international locations is modified perpetually.
HBO Documentary Movies presents a Present of Pressure Manufacturing HOSTAGES. Directed by Joshua Bennett, Maro Chermayeff, Jeff Dupre, Abbas Motlagh, and Sam Pollard; sequence producer Saralena Weinfield; consulting producer Karim Sadjadpour. For HBO: government producers Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez.
