CBC’s new digital channels bold and documentary launch March 27

From a media release:

CBC unveiled bold and documentary, two digital channels pushing the boundaries of television. bold, which replaces CBC Country Canada, is home to the world’s best performing arts, intelligent drama and daring comedy. documentary—formerly The Documentary Channel—brings viewers the most provocative and entertaining documentaries from Canada and around the world.

“We are thrilled to launch bold and documentary,” said Richard Stursberg, executive vice-president, CBC English Services. “As the names suggest, these channels will showcase the best of new programming that will excite, challenge and provoke.”

Boasting 80 per cent Canadian content, bold is a mix of cutting edge performing arts and sophisticated series. bold will showcase stunning performing arts from around the world, including The Metropolitan Opera Series, a groundbreaking series of high-definition opera transmissions taking viewers straight to the stage. Jian Ghomeshi brings the best of CBC’s own brand of arts, culture and entertainment as bold brings the original program Q to life with intriguing guests and performances. Audiences get exclusive access to Cirque du Soleil, including a brand new show Kooza, which combines the circus traditions of acrobatics and clowning in one colourful performance. Teaming up with CBC Radio 3, bold original program In Session goes in-studio for behind-the-scenes interviews and recordings with emerging Canadian artists. Viewers can also tune in to Live From Abbey Road for intimate performances from the legendary studio in England, featuring artists such as Paul Simon, The Killers and Corinne Bailey Rae.

bold boasts a diverse selection of uncut drama and comedy offerings, including the premiere of The Tudors – Uncut and Commercial-free, where viewers can see every scene of the hit series. From the comedic talents of Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King, The Comeback delves into the surreal business of television. The Mind of the Married Man takes a funny, insightful look at the challenges of modern-day marriage from a decidedly male perspective. A thriller with a mix of comedy, the British serial Funland is dark, seedy, sinister, cunning, and hilarious. Finally, the laughs come directly from the prairies and into living rooms with a showcase of the Winnipeg Comedy Festival.

Weekends on bold are packed with live sporting action featuring Canadian athletes at their best. bold brings viewers enhanced coverage of Beijing 2008:The Olympic Games this summer, as Canada makes its run for gold. From the soccer pitch, bold broadcasts seven games from Toronto FC’s second exciting season of MLS soccer. Viewers will also get their fill of equestrian television with Spruce Meadows’ coverage of Championship Show Jumping.

Thursday, March 27 also marks the official launch of documentary, beginning with the Award-winning documentary The Devil Came On Horseback, airing Thursday, March 27, at 8 p.m. documentary proudly presents Sundance Channel documentaries, bringing a world-renowned brand to Canadian audiences.

Using exclusive photographs and firsthand testimony of former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle, The Devil Came on Horseback takes viewers on an emotionally-charged journey into the heart of Darfur, Sudan, where the government is steadily executing a plan to rid the province of its black African citizens. As a military observer, Steidle gains exclusive access to parts of the country otherwise off limits. Unprepared for what he witnesses and frustrated by the inaction of the international community, Steidle returns to the U.S. to expose the stories of lives systematically destroyed. Screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007, The Devil Came on Horseback is a Break Thru Films production in association with Global Grassroots and Three Generations.

Sharia in Canada airs on Friday, March 28, at 7 p.m., on documentary. In December 2004, the Boyd Report recommended that Ontario authorize Islamic tribunals based on the “sharia”, a system of justice directly inspired by the Quran. In September 2005, however, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty banned all religious arbitration, whether Muslim, Jewish or Christian. Over those months, a heated debate played out across the country and revealed the contradictions of multiculturalism. Sharia in Canada examines the key issues, draws on a cross-section of opinions, and, in particular, seeks out the views of Muslim women. Sharia in Canada was directed by Dominique Cardona and produced by Danièle Caloz and Claudette Jaiko.

Rock On! Seven Ages of Rock premieres on Sunday, March 30, at 10 p.m., on documentary and continues for seven weeks in the same time slot. The Seven Ages of Rock is a rock music lover’s delight. The landmark series charts the emergence and re-emergence of rock music as a global force, told by the musicians who have shaped this most enduring of genres. Charting the course of this musical genre from 1963 through 2007, the series is divided into seven consecutive instalments including: Blues Based Rock, Art Rock, Punk, Heavy Metal, Stadium Rock, Alternative rock and Indie.

Experience the planet as never before with the most ambitious factual series ever produced about Planet Earth, airing Monday nights, at 7 p.m. ET/PT, beginning March 31, and continuing in the same time slot for five weeks on documentary. Narrated by the legendary Sir David Attenborough and shot entirely in HD, this groundbreaking series is the ultimate portrait of the planet, providing an unparalleled view of the world’s finest landscapes and incredible footage of creatures that could never be filmed in the wild before. Planet Earth is produced by Alastair Fothergill, executive producer for the BBC’s Natural History Unit.

Homosexuals in the Deep South find solace in the sanctuary of their Small Town Gay Bar airing Thursday, April 10, at 10 p.m., on documentary. As the owners of two Mississippi gay bars speak candidly about their constant struggle to maintain their presence in hostile territory, what emerges is a telling tale about the ongoing struggle for equal rights in the rural United States. Director Malcolm Ingram offers a poignant look at the struggle of rural gay Americans to find a place of their own in the Deep South with a film that shows just how hard it can be to fit in when homophobia and intolerance are the status quo. Malcolm Ingram directs and Kevin Smith is the executive producer of this VA Production. It was an Official Selection at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006.

Visit the unequivocal centre of Chinese filmmaking in World’s Largest Studio, premiering Saturday, April 19, at 9 p.m., on documentary. This documentary, presented in HD, takes an in-depth look behind the glamour of the Chinese movie industry. Viewers will get a peek inside Hengdian, movie studios that span an area greater than Paramount and Universal combined and have hosted feature epics such as Hero and Curse of the Golden Flower. World’s Largest Studio is a Bright Shadow Films production.

Wonderful World Of Albert Kahn – the nine-part series airs on documentary beginning Friday, April 20, at 8 p.m. The “Archive of the Planet” was the brainchild of the millionaire French banker and philanthropist Albert Kahn. Between 1908 and 1930, he used his vast personal fortune to generate what is now acknowledged to be the most important collection of early colour photographs in the world—a whopping 72,000—recording everything from religious rituals and cultural practices to momentous political events all over the world. But his passion would reduce his financial empire to rubble. Wonderful World Of Albert Kahn is a BBC Production.

bold and documentary are available for free preview from March 29 to April 29, 2008 from most cable providers for digital cable subscribers.