The HBO documentary Mama’s Boy, directed by Laurent Bouzereau (HBO’s Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind), will debut Tuesday, Oct. 18, during LGBTQ History Month.
The film will debut on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max.
Mama’s Boy centers around the upbringing of the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Milk, Dustin Lance Black. Traveling back to the places where he grew up, Black explores his childhood roots, gay identity and close relationship with his mother, Anne, who overcame childhood polio, abusive marriages and Mormon dogma while becoming Black’s emotional rock and, ultimately, the inspiration for his activism.
When Black came out to Anne at age 21, the mother and son began a difficult journey together, reconciling her conservative, Mormon belief system with his new life as an openly gay man. By the time he won an Academy Award in 2009, she accompanied him on the red carpet, wearing the white ribbon in support of same-sex marriage. Her support and encouragement led him to fight for marriage equality by overturning California’s Proposition 8, reach out to Mormon leaders in Salt Lake City and re-embrace his extended family in Texarkana.
The film features interviews with screenwriter Dustin Lance Black; members of Black’s extended family; Black’s husband, Olympic gold medalist Tom Daley; filmmaker Paris Barclay; former Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin; and Equality Utah Executive Director Troy Williams.