HBO to Explore Racial Prejudice in New Documentary 3 1/2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS

On Nov. 23, 2012, Michael Dunn, a middle-aged white male, and Jordan Davis, a black teenage male, exchanged angry words at a Jacksonville, Fla. gas station over the volume of the music coming from the younger man's car.

Michael Dunn, 45, fired ten bullets at the car full of unarmed teenagers, and three of those bullets hit 17-year-old Jordan Davis, who died at the scene. Dunn fled, but was arrested the next day, when he claimed he shot in self-defense. The timely documentary 3 1⁄2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS uncovers the truth behind the incident, reconstructing the night of the murder and revealing how hidden racial prejudice can result in tragedy, and debutsMONDAY, NOV. 23 (9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: Nov. 23 (3:05 a.m.) and 28 (1:45 p.m.)

HBO2 playdate: Nov. 25 (10:00 a.m., 8:30 p.m.)

The documentary will also be available on HBO NOW and HBO GO.

Directed by Marc Silver ("Who Is Dayani Cristal?"), 3 1⁄2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS intercuts exclusive, riveting footage from Michael Dunn's trial with intimate scenes of Davis' parents, Ron and Lucy, revealing their struggle to cope with unimaginable loss while fighting for justice for their son. The film includes police interrogation footage, prison phone recordings between Dunn and his fiancé, who was at the scene of the shooting, interviews with the others at the scene that night, including Jordan's friends, Leland Brunson, Tommie Stornes and Tevin Thompson, and news reports, telling a powerful story about the devastating effects of racial bias.

Shot over a period of 18 months beginning in summer 2013, the documentary draws on 200 hours of footage and follows several other narratives in addition to the trial itself. 3 1⁄2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS chronicles the journey of Jordan Davis' parents from unimaginable loss to activism; explores public opinion on the right to self-defense in a state that has passed a "Stand Your Ground" law; follows Dunn from his son's wedding to the act of committing a life-changing crime; and examines perceptions of Davis when he was alive, in director Marc Silver's words, "from initial reports of him being a 'thug' to who he truly was."

"I was drawn to Jordan Davis' story because it appeared to be the perfect storm of racial profiling, access to guns and laws that give people the confidence to use those guns with no sense of duty to retreat from a situation," says Silver.

The documentary made its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Award for Social Impact and was hailed as "heartbreaking" and "provocative" by the Hollywood Reporter.

3 1⁄2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS has partnered with PICO Network's Live Free Campaign, the PERCEPTION Institute, Color of Change and Million Hoodies Movement for Justice to launch a campaign to amplify the national conversation about the deadly impact of implicit bias and current self-defense laws. Since its debut at the Sundance Film Festival, and subsequent theatrical roll-out, the film has screened at dozens of churches, conferences and community settings in Ferguson, Mo., Charleston, SC, New York, Jacksonville and Washington, D.C., among other cities, with diverse audiences of community members, youth, activists, police, mayors, prosecutors and people of faith. Discussion guides have been created to inspire greater involvement in the issues among all viewers.

Director Marc Silver's previous film, "Who Is Dayani Cristal?," won the Cinematography Award: World Documentary Competition at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

HBO DOCUMENTARY FILMS in association with Participant Media presents a The Filmmaker Fund/Motto Pictures production, in co-production with Lakehouse Films and Actual Films, in association with JustFilms, MacArthur Foundation and Bertha BRITDOC;directed by Marc Silver; produced by Minette Nelson and Carolyn Hepburn; executive producers, Orlando Bagwell, Bonni Cohen, Julie Goldman, Jeff Skoll and Diane Weyermann; co-executive producer, David Eckles; edited by Emiliano Battista and Gideon Gold.

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