Sundance Channel to Premiere In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina

Sundance Channel to Premiere In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina

Original Documentary With Never-Before-Seen Footage of Gulf Coast Devastation Premieres Thursday, October 27th At 8:00pm ET/PT

Biloxi Blues and New Orleans-Focused Documentary Playing For Change to Also Air in Gulf Coast Tribute

NEW YORK, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Sundance Channel will pay tribute to the Gulf Coast by airing the world premiere the original documentary In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina on October 27th, 2005 at 8:00pm ET/PT.

In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina provides an honest, in-depth, day-by-day account of Brian Williams' 5 days in Louisiana following the hit of Hurricane Katrina. Due to the content and time limitations of broadcast network television, some of the footage taken from Katrina's earliest days has not been aired. In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina gives Williams an opportunity to tell the story on his own terms, without the restrictions associated with network television. The documentary features never-before-seen footage of the destroyed areas and includes Williams' reflections on his experience living at the Superdome when the hurricane hit and on the pandemonium that broke out in the days following the storm. Williams focuses on the communities' reaction to the destruction, the discovery of the forgotten and starving people in the New Orleans Convention Center and his own duties as a responsible journalist.

"Brian Williams was extremely moved by the indelible images and remarkable survivor accounts that he and his crew witnessed. A longer-form, commercial-free documentary presented an opportunity for Brian to fully tell the story," said Larry Aidem, President, Sundance Channel. "We are privileged to have access to this in-depth report that, by its very nature, could not have been shown during the nightly newscasts. We are also grateful to Brian and our half-siblings at NBC News for the opportunity to work together on another documentary, the 2nd such collaboration this year."

Reflecting on the experience, Williams commented, "Like all tragedies in human history, the greater shame would be to forget what took place. We owe it to those who died in New Orleans to preserve the story of what happened to their great city -- and how the Government reacted -- so that others may survive in the future. As a reporter, it was a privilege to be with those people in the Superdome. While it was wrenching to watch the suffering, our role in this story quickly changed from detached observer to advocate for the victims. I want to remember what happened there. I want others to know the story as it unfolded."

Leading into the documentary will be the films Biloxi Blues (Neil Simon's acclaimed story of young recruits who go through boot camp during the World War II in Biloxi, Mississippi) at 5pm, ET/PT and Playing For Change, a musical journey of discovery that celebrates the freedom and lives of street musicians in America today, highlighting New Orleans, at 6:45 pm, ET/PT.

In His Own Words: Brian Williams on Hurricane Katrina will also air on Friday, October 28th at 6:30pm, on Saturday, October 29th at 2pm and on Sunday, October 30th at 10:00am, all times ET/PT.

The documentary is produced by NBC News. Sharon Scott is Executive Producer, Robert Buchanan is Senior Producer, Serene Fang is Associate Producer and Rose Barnett, Jonathan Moser, Jerry Firlan and Jim Pietsch serve as editors on the program.

Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel is the television destination for independent-minded viewers seeking something different. Bold, uncompromising and irreverent, Sundance Channel offers audiences a diverse and engaging selection of films, documentaries, and original programs, all uncut and commercial free. Launched in 1996, Sundance Channel is a venture of NBC Universal, Showtime Networks, Inc. and Robert Redford. Sundance Channel operates independently of the non-profit Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival, but shares the overall Sundance mission of encouraging artistic freedom of expression. Sundance Channel's website address is http://www.sundancechannel.com/.

Source: Sundance Channel

CONTACT: Katie Lanegran, +1-212-654-3398, katie.lanegran@sundancechannel.com; or Karen Reynolds, +1-212-654-8370, karen.reynolds@sundancechannel.com

Web site: http://www.sundancechannel.com/

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