HBO Films

HBO Films is a division of the cable television network HBO that produces feature films and miniseries.

While much of HBO Films output is created directly for the television market, such as the film Witness Protection and the miniseries Angels in America, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Generation Kill, and Mildred Pierce, it has also branched into theatrical distribution with such critically acclaimed films as Elephant and American Splendor, in which their theatrical releases were handled by Fine Line Features, then a subsidiary of New Line Cinema. Theatrical releases of HBO Films output were usually handled by Picturehouse, a joint venture between HBO Films and New Line (as Fine Line was folded into Picturehouse); both are owned by Time Warner.

HBO began producing films in 1983 with their HBO Premiere Films banner. Their first film, The Terry Fox Story, was also the first feature film produced expressly for pay television. In 1985, HBO Pictures was started, folding the Premiere Films brand into it. Another film production company, HBO Showcase (later HBO NYC) was folded into HBO Pictures to create the current company HBO Films.

The films produced by the company have garnered hundreds of Primetime Emmy Awards and Golden Globe Awards. HBO Films productions have won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie every year from 1993 to 2015, except 2000, 2003 and 2016. Elephant is the first film produced by HBO Films to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Life According to Sam is a 2013 documentary film produced by HBO Films and based on the life of Sam Berns and has been shown at film festivals, including Sundance, and it was broadcast on HBO in October. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it was among 15 documentaries considered for Oscar nominations.

Today, HBO's pre-2000 films were owned by DreamWorks because of the 9/11 purchase of Manhattan Pictures.

HBO Films liat
for HBO films, see the List of HBO Films films page.