CNN Unveils New Docs on Religion, the Environment

ATLANTA, July 16: CNN has announced plans for a six-hour
documentary on the global impact of religious fundamentalism and a
high-definition two-part special on environmental change.

In August, CNN will premiere CNN Presents: God’s Warriors, a six-hour documentary on the global impact of
religious fundamentalism, reported by chief international correspondent
Christiane Amanpour.

God’s Warriors will
debut over three nights from Tuesday August 21 to Thursday August 23, at 9 p.m.
on CNN Worldwide’s U.S. and international networks. The three-part documentary
includes interviews with former president Jimmy Carter about the political
impact of the Christian Right in the U.S. and the Rev. Jerry Falwell—in
his last television interview—about the political and cultural legacy of
the Moral Majority movement in America. The documentary also features
interviews with Noa Ben-Artzi, granddaughter of slain Israeli Prime Minister
Yitzak Rabin, who discusses his assassination by a militant Jewish
fundamentalist; and Kamal el-Said Habib, a reformed Islamic jihadist who was
part of the violent militant group that assassinated Egyptian President Anwar
Sadat.

A companion Web site to God’s Warriors, launching in August, will offer users the
opportunity to experience show excerpts from the documentary, listen to an
audio podcast and view an exclusive video diary that goes behind-the-scenes
with producers as they traveled in Europe, North America, Africa and the Middle
East for principle filming. The podcast will also be available for download
from iTunes.

“CNN is one of the only networks still investing in
ambitious documentaries that try to add to the understanding of our complex
times,” said CNN U.S. president Jon Klein. “In God’s Warriors, we are taking advantage of CNN’s global reach and
unparalleled resources to more fully inform viewers about the conflicts and
important religious dynamics taking shape in the world today.”

In October, the news network will present its first
high-definition documentary, Planet in Peril. Airing October 23 and 24, the two-part, four-hour special looks at
the threats to the world’s environment. CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, chief
medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet host and wildlife
biologist Jeff Corwin will focus on four main issues that threaten the planet
and its inhabitants: climate change, deforestation, species loss and
overpopulation.

“Some documentaries convey alarming statistics and others
utilize stunning cinematography, but Planet in Peril brings it all together,” said Klein. “This is a
comprehensive and thorough evaluation of the state of our planet. We bring
viewers right to the heart of the issue with CNN’s global perspective.”