Ovation Premieres “Sacred to Profane” Programming Event Beginning March 28

Featured US Premiere Documentaries Include The Satanic Verses Affair, Bloody Cartoons, and The Michaelango Code: Secrets of the Sistine Chapel;
Plus the Films The Apostle, Little Buddha, The Last Temptation of Christ, Kundun
and Priest

Santa Monica, CA – March 4, 2010  -- Artists have long been inspired to express their devotion and condemnation of religion through their art.  With the upcoming Easter and Passover holidays, Ovation, the only US television network dedicated to art and contemporary culture, will turn its focus to some of the more controversial cases of religious expression through art with a week-long programming event called “Sacred to Profane.”  The event features a number of documentaries that have never been seen before on US television, as well as classic films that have served to generate mixed and heated emotions among viewers over the years.

Highlights of “Sacred to Profane” include:

•    Bloody Cartoons - US PREMIERE, Sunday, March 28 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.  This documentary delves in the reasons why a Danish provincial newspaper chose to print 12 controversial cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed and stood by their decision despite a huge uproar from enraged Muslims all over the world.  The director films in Lebanon, Iran, Syria, Qatar, France, Turkey and Denmark, talking to some of the people who played key roles during the cartoon crisis and asks whether respect for Islam combined with the heated response to the cartoons is now leading us towards self-censorship. How tolerant should we be of the intolerant?  And what limits should there be, if any, to freedom of speech in a democracy?

•    Paradise Found:  Islamic Art - US PREMIERE, Sunday, March 28 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.  This documentary explores the world of Islamic art and architecture and how it has profoundly influenced the art of Europe.   Filmmaker and host Waldemar Januszczak tours through the Muslim world, in search of that "atmosphere of Paradise," hidden away in mosques and palaces.

•    The Michelangelo Code:  Secrets of the Sistine Chapel - US PREMIERE, Tuesday, March 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.  In this radical and revelatory film, Waldemar Januszczak reveals the true meaning, hidden for 500 years, behind Michelangelo's greatest masterpiece: the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.  With unprecedented access to the Sistine Chapel, as well as a wealth of historical archive, the film investigates one of the Catholic church's most jealously guarded and highly prized possessions in rich and revealing detail.

•    Sister Wendy’s Pains of Glass - Cable TV Premiere, Wednesday, March 31 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.  Sister Wendy Beckett, the irrepressible art historian and nun who has gained a loyal following from her appearances on the BBC, and the Reverend Dr. George Pattison, Dean of Kings College, take viewers on an entertaining tour of sixteenth-century stained glass, revealing the great difficulty early craftsmen went through to produce such masterpieces of lead and glass.

•    The Satanic Verses Affair - US PREMIERE, Monday, April 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.  This insightful documentary takes an in-depth look at the incredible controversy surrounding Salman Rushdie’s novel, The Satanic Verses, and the ensuing fatwa declared by the Ayatollah Khomeini which called for Rushdie’s murder.   This marked the first time a leader of a foreign country had ordered the death of a citizen of another country who had never stepped foot on its soil.  Including interviews with Rushdie’s family and closest friends, The Satanic Versus Affair looks at a time when religious boundaries and freedom of speech clashed with global consequences.  

•    Yusuf Islam: A Few Good Songs - Cable TV Premiere, Wednesday, April 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.   Pop singer Cat Stevens achieved international success in both the 60s and 70s, but by 1979 Stevens abruptly quit music to begin a new life as devout Muslim Yusuf Islam. In this documentary film, Yusuf Islam himself takes viewers through his journey of self-discovery, noting the life changing events that led to his decision to give up his career at its height and, more recently, return to music to once again express his most heart-felt emotions.  The documentary includes rare, casual performances of Yusuf performing some of his classic songs.
“‘This unique programming event features a diverse mix of unforgettable documentaries and films that focus on works of art that run the gamut from inspirational to thought-provoking and even incredibly divisive,” said Kris Slava, SVP of Programming, Ovation.  ““Over this two-week period, Ovation will turn it over to the viewers to decide for themselves -- is some of this art sacred or profane?”  

“Sacred to Profane” will also feature the films The Apostle (Monday, March 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET), Little Buddha (Thursday, April 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET), Last Temptation of Christ (Friday, April 2 at 8:00 p.m. ET), Kundun (Sunday, April 4 at 8:00 p.m. ET), and Priest (Tuesday, April 6 at 8:00 p.m. ET).

About Ovation:  
Ovation is the only multi-platform network devoted to art and contemporary culture. The network creates and curates one-of-a-kind programming about all the art people enjoy most, from the popular to the avant-garde and everything in between. The channel reaches a national audience of 38 million households through carriage on DirecTV (channel 274), Dish Network (channel 157) and on cable and telco systems in major markets across the country. Ovation’s programming is also available on video on demand (in both standard and high definition) in the US. Ovation’s popular website (http://www.OvationTV.com) is a dynamic experience, featuring information about local and national happenings in the art world, as well as a vibrant community of artists who have uploaded over 100,000 pieces of original art.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Patricia Frith Marketing (for Ovation)
Tel:  +1 818 876-0480
Email:  pfmarketing@roadrunner.com
Ovation TV Press Website:  www.OvationTV.com/media
Twitter:  ovationtvpr

Michelle Orsi (for Ovation)
Three.Sixty Marketing & Communications
Tel: +1 310 418-6430
Email: michelle@360-comm.com