New HBO documentary explores Oklahoma City bombing
“An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th” will debut 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 16. A new HBO documentary, "An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th," will debut on April 16. The documentary, directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Marc Levin and executive produced by Katie Couric, explores the rise in homegrown political violence through the story of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The film also explores the personal trajectory of Timothy McVeigh, his associations with pro-gun, anti-government groups, and his ideology. The Oklahoma City bombings killed 168 people, including 19 children. The filmmakers include former president Bill Clinton, bombing survivor Nancy Shaw, investigative reporters Mike Boettcher and Bob Sands, former FBI special agents Danny Coulson, Michael Liwicki, and Bob Ricks.
Published : 4 weeks ago by From staff reports, jimmie tramel in Entertainment
The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing will be the focus of a new HBO documentary “An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th” that will debut 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 16.
The documentary will be shown on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
An initial promotional image for the documentary appeared to include the skyline of downtown Tulsa instead of the skyline of downtown Oklahoma City. On HBO's press site , the skyline is excluded from the image that is visible to users.
Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Marc Levin (HBO’s “Stockton on My Mind,” “One Nation Under Stress”) and executive produced by Katie Couric, the documentary looks at the surge in homegrown political violence through the story of the Oklahoma City bombing, showing the roots of anti-government sentiment and its reverberations today, along with the emotionally charged warnings of those who suffered tragic losses in the bombing.
The Oklahoma City bombing was the single, deadliest act of homegrown terrorism against the government in U.S. history. On April 19, 1995, American Timothy McVeigh ignited a truck bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people, including 19 children.
The documentary details that day, the experiences of the people who were there, the manhunt for the perpetrators and the pivotal moments of the trials.
The film also explores the personal trajectory of McVeigh, his struggles after serving his country in the Gulf War and his association with pro-gun, anti-government groups. “An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th” connects McVeigh with the ideology of a larger extremist movement that was forged in the aftermaths of the farm crisis, the Gulf War, Ruby Ridge and Waco.
A news release said the film questions the lessons learned from past acts of domestic terrorism and stands as an essential wake-up call.
Featured participants in the documentary include former president Bill Clinton, bombing survivor Nancy Shaw, investigative reporters Mike Boettcher and Bob Sands; former Oklahoma police officer Daniel Coss, former FBI special agents Danny Coulson, Michael Liwicki, and Bob Ricks; former domestic terrorist Kerry Noble, McVeigh childhood friend Mollie McDermott, authors Stuart Wright, Jeffrey Toobin, Lou Michel, Dan Herbeck, and Kathleen Belew; attorneys Stephen Jones, Asa Hutchinson, Aitan Goelman, Beth Wilkinson, Clark Brewster and Steven Snyder; investigator Richard Reyna and victims’ family members Kathy Sanders, Marsha Kimble, LaDonna Battle-Leverett and Bud Welch.
Topics: TV, Documentaries, Terrorism