HBO Films is a division of the cable television

Cable television

Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...

 network

Television network

A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...

 HBO that produces feature films and miniseries

Miniseries

A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...

. While much of HBO Films' output is created directly for the television market, such as the film Witness Protection

Witness Protection (film)

Witness Protection is a 1999 American television movie directed by Richard Pearce. The teleplay by Daniel Therriault is based on a New York Times Magazine article entitled The Invisible Family by Robert Sabbag...

and the mini-series Band of Brothers, Pacific, Generation Kill and Angels in America

Angels in America (miniseries)

Angels in America is a 2003 HBO miniseries adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name by Tony Kushner. Kushner adapted his original text for the screen, and Mike Nichols directed...

, it has also branched into theatrical distribution with such critically acclaimed films as Elephant and American Splendor

American Splendor (film)

American Splendor is a 2003 American biographical comedy-drama film about Harvey Pekar, the author of the American Splendor comic book series. The film is also in part an adaptation of the comics, which dramatize Pekar's life...

. These theatrical releases are usually handled by Picturehouse

Picturehouse

Picturehouse was a specialty film production and distribution company formed in 2005 as a joint venture of New Line Cinema and HBO Films, both divisions of Time Warner....

, a joint venture between HBO Films and New Line Cinema

New Line Cinema

New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...

; both are owned by Time Warner

Time Warner

Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...

.

HBO began producing films in 1983 with their HBO Pictures banner; their first film, The Terry Fox Story

The Terry Fox Story

The Terry Fox Story is a 1983 film biopic of Canadian amputee and runner Terry Fox. It was written by Howard Hume, John Kastner and Rose Kastner, and directed by Ralph L. Thomas. The film stars Eric Fryer as Fox, Chris Makepeace as his brother Darrell, and Robert Duvall as Fox's publicist, Bill...

, was also the first feature film produced expressly for pay television. Another film production company, HBO Showcase (later HBO NYC) was folded into HBO Pictures to produce the current company HBO Films.

HBO Films productions are generally regarded to be high-quality and groundbreaking productions; the films produced by the company have garnered hundreds of Emmy and Golden Globe awards; HBO Films productions have won the award for the Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Made for Television Movie" every year from 1993 to 2002, except 2000. Elephant is the first film produced by HBO Films to win the Palme d'Or

Palme d'Or

The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...

 at the Cannes Film Festival

Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...

.

External links

• http://paradiselost3.com
• HBO Films Website