HBO Rides "The Prison Rodeo"

A scene from Bradley Beesley's documentary "Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo." Image courtesy of HBO Films.

HBO Documentary Films has acquired the broadcast rights to Bradley Beesley's documentary "Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo." The film, which goes behind prison walls to follow convict cowgirls on their journey to the 2007 Oklahoma State Penitentiary Rodeo, premiered at the SXSW Film Festival this past March, and will have its broadcast premiere on HBO's CINEMAX in September. Julie Goldman of Cactus Three negotiated the acquisition.

"I'm truly thrilled for the women featured in the film--their remarkable stories made this possible," Beesley said in a statement. "There's no better place than HBO to share our documentary with the US-it's a perfect home."

The film will also be screened inside the prison system as part of a large-scale outreach campaign and forum exploring rehabilitative and educational programs, starting with the Eddie Warrior Correctional Center in Taft, Oklahoma on June 9th before all 700 inmates. "Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo" is produced by James Payne and Amy Dotson and is executive produced by Julie Goldman, Krysanne Katsoolis and Caroline Stevens.