Drug trafficking, poverty, gang violence, corruption and ethnic warfare have created some of the most dangerous hot spots on Earth. WITNESS follows our current generation of photojournalists into these conflict zones in Mexico, Libya, Brazil and South Sudan. In the four-part series, war photographers carry us into the heart of the human drama of the people in the action on the ground. We see what compels the photojournalist and experience why, when everyone else seeks cover, the photojournalist stands and moves closer.

Executive produced by writer-director Michael Mann (The Insider, Ali, Heat, HBOs Luck) and acclaimed commercial and documentary director David Frankham, WITNESS is not a historical summary or analysis. It does not present the sides of an issue from an objective perspective. WITNESS is the exact opposite. It is personal experience. It is an immersion into the human drama on the ground of people caught in the thick of it. WITNESS dives into the anomalies, the humor, the tragedy, the chaos, the exultation. It struggles to capture  as does the photographer  a small piece of the truth in a moment.

I share an admiration for the art and the truth-telling of photography from conflict zones with David Frankham, says Mann. Sometimes, in a single frame in the midst of chaos and danger, an indescribable, small piece of truth is captured. As journalists, as artists, theyre drawn in while everyone else is running in the other direction. They stand as witness.

Says Frankham, WITNESS was born out of our belief that by following the experiences and struggles of war photographers who risk their lives in an attempt to reveal the truth, we would capture an honest, ground-level view of conflicts around the world, and the people affected, in a way that had not been seen before.

WITNESS: RIO

Though Rio de Janeiro will host the Summer Olympics in 2016, the city currently remains crippled by a war raging between police and powerful drug gangs. Over 2,000 Brazilian military have taken to the streets in a largest offensive in decades. They are taking on the Red Command and Amigos de Amigos, two powerful gangs, in an attempt to regain control of the citys hilltop favelas before the worlds eyes focus on Brazil as it hosts the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics. The powerful drug gangs have fought back with a series of urban terror attacks on cars, buses and police stations. Several journalists have been murdered. Photographer Eros Hoagland is one of only a few willing to venture into the dangerous favelas like Mangueira, which overlooks the Olympic stadium. Mysteries are revealed: In some areas of pacification, Red Command have been warned in advance and have already left for more remote parts. Rios murder rate is said to be falling, yet missing persons cases are dramatically on the rise. Is this social cleansing?, Hoagland asks. Where are the bodies? As he journeys deeper into the dangerous streets he finds some of the answers  disturbing images of bodies in alleys, buried in wells or burned beyond recognition. Directed by David Frankham; produced by Julie Herrin and Josiah Hooper.

WITNESS is a Blue Light Media/Little Puppet Production. Executive producers are Michael Mann and David Frankham. It features photojournalists Eros Hoagland, Michael Christopher Brown and Veronique de Viguerie. Cinematographer is Jared Moosey and composer is Antonio Pinto. An HBO Documentary Films presentation.