Showtime Shares First Look at Gripping Documentaries RISK and WHITNEY. CAN I BE ME

Extending its slate of can't be missed nonfiction projects, Showtime Documentary Films will premiere RISK, the latest documentary from Academy Award® winner Laura Poitras (CITIZENFOUR), on Saturday, July 22 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, followed by the television debut of WHITNEY. "CAN I BE ME," a film exploring the incredible career and complicated life of legendary songstress Whitney Houston, on Saturday, August 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. RISK and WHITNEY. "CAN I BE ME" will air exclusively on SHOWTIME, the network's authentication service Showtime ANYTIME® and the Showtime stand-alone streaming service.

RISK and WHITNEY. "CAN I BE ME" join an esteemed list of projects under the Showtime Documentary Films banner that focus on the lives and legacies of culture-defining figures, including WEINER, ZERO DAYS, the Emmy®-nominated film LISTEN TO ME MARLON and an upcoming documentary film on John Belushi's life and career. Starting tonight at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Showtime is also debuting the highly-anticipated THE PUTIN INTERVIEWS, Oliver Stone's historic four-part conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Filmed over six years including through the 2016 presidential election, RISK takes viewers closer than they have ever been before to Julian Assange and those who surround him. With unprecedented access, Poitras gives us the WikiLeaks story from the inside, allowing viewers to understand our current era of massive leaks, headline-grabbing news and the revolutionary impact of the internet on global politics. RISK is a portrait of power, principles, betrayal, and sacrifice when the STAKES could not be any higher. It is a first-person geopolitical thriller told from the perspective of a filmmaker immersed in the worlds of state surveillance and the cypherpunk movement. RISK confirms Poitras' directorial ability to record history as it unfolds on camera, and craft narratives at the highest level. Showtime Networks teamed up with NEON to release RISK theatrically nationwide in May to critical acclaim. Watch the official trailer for RISK:

WHITNEY. "CAN I BE ME" is an intimate portrait of Houston, directed by acclaimed BAFTA Award winner Nick Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney) with Rudi Dolezal, that garnered high PRAISE at its Tribeca Film Festival premiere in May. Six-time Grammy® winner Whitney Houston was one of the most successful female recording artists of all time, but after a troubled marriage to singer Bobby Brown and many years of struggles with addiction, Houston died suddenly and tragically at age 48. With never seen before behind the scenes footage, candid interviews and gripping performance footage - including many of Houston's greatest hits - WHITNEY. "CAN I BE ME" will offer a raw and uncensored look at Houston, exploring the impact her life and death had on the people around her and the world of music. The film explores Whitney's central dilemma: even though she had made millions of dollars, had more consecutive number ones than The Beatles and was recognized as having one of the greatest voices of all time, she still couldn't do what she wanted to do, either professionally or in her personal life. Watch WHITNEY. "CAN I BE ME" trailer:

RISK is produced in association with Field of Vision and First Look Media, and is executive produced by Sam Esmail, the award-winning creator of Mr. Robot. WHITNEY. "CAN I BE ME" is directed by BAFTA Award winner Nick Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney) along with co-director Rudi Dolezal, and is executive produced by John Battsek through his Passion Pictures label, Patrick Holland, Shani Hinton, Charles Finch and Ben Silverman. Broomfield also co-produced with Marc Hoeferlin.

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