Stars line up for OWN documentaries

LOS ANGELES, July 26 (UPI) -- The Oprah Winfrey Network is producing original documentaries with Hollywood stars Julia Roberts, Forest Whitaker and Goldie Hawn, network executives say.

OWN also said it is working on 2-hour films with Gabriel Byrne and Mariel Hemingway.

Documentary topics the stars will explore during their collaboration with OWN include redemption in the U.S. prison system, the quest for happiness, homelessness, and depression and suicide.

The films will be presented as part of OWN's monthly documentary film club, along with the original acquisitions "Life 2.0" and "Sons of Perdition."

The documentary club will spotlight these films and the previously announced "Family Affair," focusing on cinematic documentaries that encourage emerging creative voices to bring their stories to a mainstream television audience on OWN, the network said Monday.

"All of these documentaries fundamentally explore human interaction, relationships and emotions," Lisa Erspamer, chief creative officer of OWN, said in a statement. "We're excited to provide viewers with new perspectives and new ways of looking at core themes that shape and affect their lives."