The HBO original film premieres on April 16th, simultaneously with the United States
HBO reinforces its commitment to presenting controversial and groundbreaking original content while highlighting the major issues that affect and shape society with the premiere of its brand new original film, Confirmation on April 16th at 21hrs*, simultaneously with the United States. The film, starring Kerry Washington (Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominee for Scandal), details the notorious 1991 Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings, depicting a pivotal moment in American history that became a turning point in workplace equality and gender politics.
Confirmation looks behind the curtain of Washington politics at the time when Judge Clarence Thomas was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to fill Justice Thurgood Marshall’s seat on the U.S. Supreme Court in July of 1991. In October, during the final days of Thomas’ confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, both news mediums Newsday and NPR broke the story that one of Thomas’ former employees, law professor Anita Hill, had accused him of sexually harassing her ten years earlier. These revelations triggered a maelstrom of events, with both Hill and Thomas testifying about the allegations before a stunned and riveted television audience.
Kerry Washington portrays law professor Anita Hill, with Wendell Pierce (HBO’s Treme and The Wire), as Judge Thomas and Greg Kinnear (Oscar® and Golden Globe® nominee for As Good as It Gets) as Democratic Senator Joe Biden, who presided over the hearings as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Jeffrey Wright (Emmy® and Golden Globe® winner for HBO’s Angels in America; HBO’s Boardwalk Empire) plays Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree, Professor Hill’s lead attorney during the hearings, and Eric Stonestreet (Emmy® winner for Modern Family) portrays Ken Duberstein, former Washington chief of staff under President Reagan. Jennifer Hudson (Oscar® winner for Dreamgirls) portrays Angela Wright, another Thomas accuser, who was subpoenaed but was never called to testify before the Judiciary Committee.
The film also stars: Dylan Baker (Selma), Erika Christensen (Traffic), Kimberly Elise (Diary of a Mad Black Woman), Malcolm Gets (Caroline in the City), Grace Gummer (HBO’s The Newsroom), Bill Irwin (Interstellar), Zoe Lister-Jones (Salt), Peter McRobbie (Lincoln), Treat Williams (Everwood) and Alison Wright (The Americans.)
Shot on location in Atlanta, Georgia, the HBO original film is a Groundswell Production in association with ABC Signature Studios. Written by Susannah Grant (Oscar® nominee for Erin Brockovich) and directed by Rick Famuyiwa (Dope), Confirmation is executive produced by Michael London (Oscar® nominee for Sideways), Janice Williams (Trumbo), Kerry Washington and Susannah Grant. Darren Demetre (The Bling Ring) is the producer. The behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Rachel Morrison; production designer Stephen Altman; editor Dirk Westervelt; music composer Harry Gregson-Williams; music supervisor Evyen J Klean; costume designer Hope Hanafin; and casting directors Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee.
