Buzz is high on HBO’s new miniseries The Night Of starring John Turturro
With its Show Me a Hero sure to feature heavily in the 2016 Limited Series Emmy race, here comes HBO with yet another high pedigree mini series. The network’s The Night Of will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22 in the festival’s new Tribeca Tune In series. The screening will be followed by post-screening Q&A featuring creators and stars.
The Night Of is the brainchild of writer Richard Price (Clockers, Freedomland, five episodes of The Wire) and Oscar-winner Steve Zaillian, writer of Schindler’s List and Gangs of New York. The mini series stars John Turturro (Barton Fink) and Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler). It deals with a complex New York City murder case that has significant cultural and political overtones. Following the inspiration of such true-crime hits as The Jinx, Making a Murderer and The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, The Night Of will follow police investigations, the legal process, and imprisonment at Rikers Island.
The cast also includes Michael Kenneth Williams, Bill Camp, Glenne Headly, Ben Shenkman, Chip Zien, and Max Casella among others.
The Tribeca Tune In program is the festival’s response to the growing popularity of television-specific programming airing in major film festivals. Both South By Southwest and the Toronto International Film Festival have already established sections for television programming to much success. SXSW was the launch platform for HBO’s Girls thanks to its close relationship with star Lena Dunham. Check the Tribeca Film Festival official site for a complete list of the television content showing at the festival.
The Night Of will premiere this summer on HBO. It is unlikely to air in the 2016 eligibility window as that would put it in direct competition with HBO’s own Show Me a Hero and dozens of other similarly high profile programs.