THE DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL® PRESENTS AN INVESTIGATION INTO WARREN JEFF’S CULT OF POLYGAMY AND UNDER-AGE MARRIAGE
WITH TWO EXCLUSIVE U.S. TV PREMIERES ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (October 28, 2009) — The Documentary Channel® (DOC) debuts two exclusive U.S. television premieres examining issues of polygamy, abuse and under-age marriage practiced in the destructive Colorado City, Ariz.-based Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS) cult guided by Warren Jeffs on Friday, Nov. 20. The network’s primetime lineup begins with the telecast of the controversial and critically acclaimed documentary “Damned to Heaven” at 8 p.m. ET/PT, providing viewers intimate interviews with former FLDS members that capture honest feelings about Jeffs and life within the community. Immediately following is the documentary short “Banished: The Lost Boys of Polygamy” at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT, exploring first-hand the personal lives of young males who have been barred from FLDS by the religious sect’s adult men.

In addition, DOC is making both films available beginning Friday, Nov. 20 to online audiences in their entirety on the network’s Sling.com channel (www.sling.com/network/189/The-Documentary-Channel).

“Two years ago to the day, on November 20, 2007, Warren Jeffs was sent to prison,” reflects Kate Pearson, The Documentary Channel senior vice president of programming. “‘Damned to Heaven’ documents in great detail the harrowing lives of those whom he affected. So many tragedies were inflicted on young lives and families. It’s a fascinating story that needs to be taken out of the dark and exposed to a mass audience.”

“Damned to Heaven,” directed by Thomas Elliott and Pawel Gula, documents Jeff’s FLDS society where men believed that participating in plural marriage was a requirement to be accepted into heaven. After being placed on the FBI’s “10 Most Wanted” list in May of 2006, he was eventually captured the following August. He was tried and convicted of rape as an accomplice in November 2007 for his role in the ceremonial marriage of a teenage girl to an older cousin, and is facing felony sex charges for arranging underage marriages in Arizona. Winner of the Audience Award for “Best Documentary Feature” at the Red Rock Film Festival and Jury Prize at the Temecula Valley International Film Festival, the documentary delves into the long-lasting emotional and psychological damages inflicted upon females forced into early polygamist marriages.

In “Banished: The Lost Boys of Polygamy,” director Stacey Butler gives viewers a glimpse into the lives of boys between ages 13 and 21 who have been banished or pressured to leave FLDS by the men of influence within the community. In order to reduce competition for wives, these boys have been removed. Usually left with little education or life skills, these boys must deal with the consequences of being turned away by their families and believing they are beyond spiritual redemption.

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.

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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. For more information on DOC, visit www.documentarychannel.com.
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Contacts:

The Documentary Channel
Barry Smith / Cathy Vo / Bonnie Winings
SWPR Group
(818) 760-7131
bsmith@swprgroup.com / cvo@swprgroup.com / bwinings@swprgroup.com