“Foster,” a documentary that follows people in the Los Angeles child welfare system, will air on HBO in 2019
HBO has acquired the rights to air a documentary that weaves together the stories of youth, families and workers in the child welfare system.
“Foster,” created by filmmakers Deborah Oppenheimer and Mark Jonathan Harris, uses the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) as the frame to bring viewers into the day-to-day world of protecting children and helping families in crisis.
Among the many people featured in the film is Jessica Chandler, who grew up in the city’s foster care system and now serves as a social worker for DCFS.
“We’re grateful to HBO for their passion and support and are excited to be working with their outstanding team,” Oppenheimer and Harris said, in a statement about the agreement.
Oppenheimer and Harris won the 2000 Academy Award for Best Documentary for “Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport.” The film, also done with HBO, examines the British rescue operation that saved thousands of Jewish children during the Holocaust. The intention was to reunite them with their parents, but most never saw their families again.
“Foster” premiered this June at the AFI DOCS Film Festival, and is slated to premiere on HBO in 2019. Click here for the film’s website; news about it on social media will carry the hashtag #fosterdoc.
