Editing HBO Films (section)

===Origin, as a television film production arm===
'''HBO Premiere Films''' began in 1983 as a telefilm and miniseries production company with an "ambitious production schedule" for the HBO channel. With the high expense of theatrical film exclusive, those films appeared on multiple pay TV channels. Thus, the unit was started to give the channel some exclusives. The company's first head, Jane Deknatel (an English-born television veteran), projected the unit would do 24 projects in 1984 and 50 a few years later. HBO Premiere Films was funding the productions at 60% for just the pay TV rights. Their first film, ''[[The Terry Fox Story]]'', shown in May 1983<ref name=nyt>{{cite news |last1=Salmans |first1=Sandra |title=HBO Changes its Film Focus |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/09/arts/hbo-changes-its-film-focus.html |access-date=October 5, 2018 |work=The New York Times |date=May 9, 1984 |language=en}}</ref> was also the first feature film produced expressly for pay television.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kaufman|first=Michael T.|date=1982-09-20|title=HBO FILMS TERRY FOX STORY IN TORONTO (Published 1982)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/20/movies/hbo-films-terry-fox-story-in-toronto.html|access-date=2021-03-11|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Two more films were produced and shown in 1983.<ref name=nyt/>

By the end of the first year the schedule was cut back and the unit moved into producing theatrical films. In January 1984, Donald March took over the company from Deknatel as senior vice president. He canceled a dozen projects in development and was reassessing star vehicle productions as being done as vanity projects. A production for each month from July to November was the new plan with a push for additional rights beyond pay TV rights, like foreign theatrical, home video and network television. In January 1984, a telefilm and HBO Premiere Films' first two mini-series, ''[[All the Rivers Run]]'' then ''Far Pavilions'' were cablecast.<ref name=nyt/> HBO Pictures started winning [[Emmy Award]]s in 1993 with two for ''[[Barbarians at the Gate (film)|Barbarians at the Gate]]'' and ''[[Stalin (1992 film)|Stalin]]''.<ref name="vty">{{cite news |last1=Birnbaum |first1=Debra |title=HBO Films Redefined the TV Movie — Now It's Poised to Redefine Itself |url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/features/hbo-films-tv-movie-1202555949/ |access-date=October 12, 2018 |work=Variety |date=September 13, 2017}}</ref>

Around the time, the company tried its hand into feature films again by partnering with Cinema Plus L.P., with [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM/UA Communications]] planning on to distribute its films, but the films that eventually came out were released by [[Warner Bros.]] due to the Time-Warner merger.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Girard |first=Tom |date=1988-01-27 |title=New HBO Limited Partnership Looks To Raise $40-100 Mil |pages=4, 24 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref>

Around November 1996, John Matoian was appointed as president of HBO Pictures reporting to HBO chairman and CEO [[Jeff Bewkes]]. Bewkes decided by April 1999 that he want a single original programming division. Programming president [[Chris Albrecht]] oversaw original series development, specials and miniseries and was selected over Matoian. Matoian resigned because he lost his direct reporting status and would have reported to Albrecht. Executive vice president of HBO NYC [[Colin Callender]], who reported to Matoian, was promoted to take over as president of HBO Pictures.<ref name=vty2>{{cite news |last1=Katz |first1=Richard |title=HBO punts pic head |url=https://variety.com/1999/biz/news/hbo-punts-pic-head-1117493189/ |access-date=October 12, 2018 |work=Variety |date=April 13, 1999}}</ref>