HBO launches Alex Gibney church doc

HBO has commissioned Alex Gibney to produce feature documentary Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence In The House of God, exposing the abuse of power in the Catholic Church.

The documentary, which is premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, will be released theatrically later this year and will launch on the US premium cable network next year.

Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence In The House of God tells the story of the Catholic Church’s cover up and follows four young deaf men who exposed the priest that abused them.

It is the first major documentary since Gibney, director of Taxi to the Dark Side and Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr Hunter S Thompson, struck a deal with Content Media, which will distribute the series internationally.

Gibney told TBI that the Content deal was part of his plan to expand his Jigsaw Productions company. “The idea was the Content investment will afford me the infrastructure to produce other things from features and fiction and series.”

Michael Lombardo, president of programming, HBO, also told TBI that it was keen to continue working with Gibney. “We have an unbelievable documentary coming soon. He’s enormously talented and someone I hope we continue to work with.”

“Our programming is only as good as the people who bring it to us. We’re in the business of supporting the vision of a creato that walks in the door,” he added.