National Geographic Channel Announces A Documentary Event From Award-winning Filmmaker Alex Gibney And His Jigsaw Productions

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 29, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- National Geographic Channel (NGC) and Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney announced today the greenlight of Parched, to be produced by Gibney's Jigsaw Productions. Parched will take a hard-hitting look at a crisis that affects billions worldwide and is increasingly cause for concern among Americans — a future where fresh drinking water is alarmingly scarce. 

Gibney will serve as executive producer of Parched, which will be created as a television miniseries and as a feature documentary that will have a limited theatrical release. Both will air globally on the National Geographic Channels in 171 countries and 44 languages.

With the recent plummet in California's water supply, America is being hit with a stark reality: Overpopulation, compounded by global warming and intense industrial draining of the water supply, could leave us all dried up. Parched takes a definitive look at the water wars that are now upon us, investigating the corporate, political and social interests that are responsible for our water-limited future. Parched will delve into issues such as privatization, factory farming, energy extraction and chemical dumping, examining both the science and politics behind the water wars.   

"Harnessing the power of the National Geographic brand, Parched will give a 360-degree look at a global crisis that affects us all, bringing much needed attention and social awareness to the public," said Tim Pastore, president of original programming & production, National Geographic Channel. "We are thrilled to be working with Alex Gibney, who pulls no punches and delivers the kind of hard-hitting, intriguing stories that we're passionate about sharing."

"With the drought crisis in California, America is starting to wake up to a future where fresh drinking water is scarce, expensive and beyond our control," said Gibney. "With the global reach of National Geographic, we hope to stress the urgency, and now more than ever we need to understand what's literally under the surface."

Jigsaw Productions is helmed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Gibney, considered one of the most prolific and thought-provoking documentary filmmakers of our generation. Jigsaw has produced some of the most acclaimed documentary films in recent years, including the explosive and highly popularized "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief," one of the most watched documentaries in HBO's history; the Academy and Emmy award-winning "Taxi to the Dark Side"; the Oscar-nominated "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room"; the multiple Emmy award-winning "Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God"; Showtime's Emmy-winning "History of the Eagles"; the controversial "We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks"; and the provocative film about Lance Armstrong's fall from grace, "The Armstrong Lie." More recent Jigsaw releases include the Emmy-nominated two-part special "Sinatra: All or Nothing at All" and "Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine," which will be in theaters Sept. 4. Jigsaw further expanded into the scripted and unscripted television series arena with "Death Row Stories," a documentary series for CNN narrated by Susan Sarandon. Executive produced by Gibney and Academy Award winner Robert Redford, "Death Row Stories" explores a different capital murder case in each episode. The popular series is now in its second season. On screens small or large, on platforms digital or traditional, Jigsaw adheres to a particular ethos: well-told, insightful, scrupulously researched and visually poignant stories that ignite and engage our curiosity without sacrificing style or authenticity.

Parched will be produced for National Geographic Channels by Jigsaw Productions. For Jigsaw Productions, executive producers will be Alex Gibney, Stacey Offman and Lynne Kirby, and co-executive producer will be Richard Perello. For National Geographic Channels, executive producer will be Matt Renner; senior vice president of programming and development is Alan Eyres; and president, original programming & production, National Geographic Channel US is Tim Pastore.

National Geographic Channels
Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Networks. The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission. Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD. In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled. The Channels have carriage with all of the nation's major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in more than 90 million U.S. homes. Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in more than 432 million homes in 171 countries and 45 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com. 

SOURCE National Geographic Channel

Related Links

http://www.natgeotv.com