NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 19, 2009) — The Documentary Channel^® (DOC) presents a diverse collection of documentaries making their exclusive U.S. television debuts in June during its Monday “Primetime Premieres” schedule.  The film quartet takes in-depth looks at such topics as non-fiction filmmaking, a widely popular religious cartoon company, a Louisiana man and his “invisible” girlfriend, and the brave individuals who fight the smoke and flames of wildland fires.

The special primetime programming kicks off with the U.S. television premiere of Pepita Ferrari’s film “Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary” on Monday, June 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, which explores the art and power of non-fiction filmmaking through the viewpoints of some of the genre’s most influential directors.

“God’s Cartoonist: The Comic Crusade of Jack Chick” also makes its exclusive U.S. television premiere on DOC on Monday, June 8 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Directed by Kurt Kuersteiner and produced by Dan Wester, the filmmakers gained unprecedented access to Ontario, Calif.-based Chick Publications to explore the controversial company that has published nearly one billion religious tracts (palm sized comics) that are now distributed in more than 100 languages around the world.

“Invisible Girlfriend,” directed by David Redmon and Ashley Sabin, premieres on Monday, June 22 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, and follows the unusual story of a bipolar paranoid schizophrenic man living in Monroe, La., who’s in love with an invisible girlfriend that he believes is the spirit of Joan of Arc. The film is currently enjoying success in the U.S. film festival circuit, recently winning the “Ron Tibbett Award for Excellence in Film” at the Magnolia Film Festival and the “Best Humanities Themed Documentary” award at the Cinema on the Bayou festival.

Monday, June 29, marks the premiere of “Where There’s Smoke” at 9 a.m. ET/PT, a documentary directed by firefighter and filmmaker Sean Wilson that examines the high-pressure experiences of several firefighting crews as they battle the elements during the largest wildland fires of the summer. 

DOC is available on DISH Network (Channel 197), and several broadcast stations in major markets including NYC TV (Channel 25) throughout the greater New York metropolitan area. The network’s exclusive Monday “Primetime Premieres” feature documentaries for June are as follows:
Monday, June 1 “Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary” 9 p.m. ET/PT

Monday, June 8 “God’s Cartoonist: The Comic Crusade of Jack Chick” 9 p.m. ET/PT

Monday, June 22 “Invisible Girlfriend” 9 p.m. ET/PT

Monday, June 29 “Where There’s Smoke” 9 p.m. ET/PT

In Ferrari’s “Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary,” the filmmaker explores non-fiction filmmaking and the steps to making a documentary through a combination of interviews and clips.  Some of the genre’s prized directors reflect upon its unique power in this documentary, including Albert Maysles, Errol Morris, Alanis Obomsawin, Michel Brault, Nick Broomfield, Kim Longinotto and that great iconoclast Werner Herzog. Ferrari’s documentary offers insight into the craft of filmmaking while reflecting on the nature of representation and the perennially contested status of the “truth.” Can film capture reality? What ethical issues arise when portraying real lives? How does editing or music condition our emotional response to film? More than 100 clips enliven the discussion, offering a panoramic overview of contemporary documentary cinema, from “Grey Gardens” and “The Thin Blue Line” to “The Day I Will Never Forget” and “Darwin’s Nightmare.”

“God’s Cartoonist: The Comic Crusade of Jack Chick” is a unique documentation of the success of Jack T. Chick’s publishing company, Chick Publications, which claims to be “publishing cartoon gospel tracts and equipping Christians for evangelism for over 40 years.” In the process of building a world-wide distribution, Jack Chick’s name has become revered in the world of fundamentalist teachings, reviled among dozens of major religions and banned as hate literature in several countries including Canada. Outside the world of religion the tracts have become highly valued pop culture collectibles with presentations in galleries from New York to Los Angeles and a permanent collection in the Smithsonian. The film marks the first time Chick Publications has allowed camera crews inside access to meet the creators of the infamous works, as well as noted authors, artists, critics and collectors who have covered the history of all things Chick.

In “Invisible Girlfriend,” the filmmakers pursue the story of Charles, in love with an invisible girlfriend that he believes is the spirit of Joan of Arc (or Joanie, as he calls her). When he decides that DeeDee, his favorite New Orleans bartender, is quite possibly Joan of Arc in the flesh, he leaves his family, setting out on a 400-mile bicycle trek through rural Louisiana, to return to New Orleans and see his true love. Along the way he encounters a variety of vibrant, real-life characters, some mighty generous kindness from strangers, and some heartbreaking setbacks. Filmmakers working in fiction would have to be pretty creative to come up with the types of characters and situations with which Sabin & Redmon manage to populate their documentaries. While someone like Charles may be the type of person some of us might overlook or even avoid in real life, through the filmmakers’ non-judgmental lens we’re able to get close to him and see that he is an intelligent, insightful, and caring man — a man we are privileged to follow on this, one of several chapters in his life.

“Where There’s Smoke” provides an intimate look into the lives of wildland firefighters. Firefighter/filmmaker Wilson gives viewers the opportunity to meet diverse and specialized crews and learn how they work together to protect everyone from wildfire, while witnessing the rigor, danger, and satisfaction that comes after a long assignment of beating brush and clearing fire breaks. The documentary allows viewers to face the flames, swallow the fear, and go where few dare to tread…where there’s smoke.
About The Documentary Channel^®: The Documentary Channel (DOC) is the USA’s first 24-hour television network exclusively devoted to documentary films and the independent documentary filmmaker, providing viewers with round-the-clock opportunities to see fascinating, eclectic and award-winning documentary films of all lengths and genres.  Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., with offices in New York and Los Angeles, DOC was founded by Oscar^®-nominated and Emmy^®-winning documentary filmmaker Tom Neff (CEO) in January 2006.  DOC now reaches over 21 million homes nationwide via DISH Network (Channel 197) and several broadcast stations in major television markets, including NYC TV (Channel 25) throughout the greater New York metropolitan area.  DOC also provides content to online distribution outlets through www.youtube.com/documentarychannel and www.sling.com/network/189/The-Documentary-Channel. For more information on DOC, visit www.documentarychannel.com.