HBO has announced that six months after its Sundance debut, their documentary entitled COME INSIDE MY MIND, which celebrates the talent, work, and life of late comedian Robin Williams, will be released on July 16th. Directed by Marina Zenovich (ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED) and produced by acclaimed documentarian Alex Gibney, the upcoming Williams-based project will include rare audio and video footage from the actor’s collection of home movies and onstage footage. In addition to the new materials used for the documentary, Whoopi Goldberg, Eric Idle, Steve Martin, David Letterman, and Zak Williams, the legendary comedian's own son, will appear on-camera to share stories about Robin's many experiences and accomplishments.
"Told largely through Williams’ own words, the film celebrates what he brought to comedy and to the culture at large, from the wild days of late-1970s L.A. to his death in 2014,” the release states. "The documentary underscores what made Williams so unique, ranging from his youthful days in the San Francisco Bay area, to his time in New York at The Juilliard School, to his rocket-propelled fame on TV’s Mork & Mindy, to his profound impact on the American cultural landscape."
Throughout his storied career, Williams fought an on-going battle with substance abuse and depression, until he died by suicide on Aug. 11, 2014. In exploring the events that led to the comedian's passing, doctors had discovered that Williams was plagued by Lewy Body Dementia. According to MayoClinic.com, Lewy Body Dementia, also known as dementia with Lewy bodies, is the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's disease dementia. Protein deposits, called Lewy bodies, develop in nerve cells in the brain regions involved in thinking, memory and movement (motor control).
Lewy body dementia causes a progressive decline in mental abilities. People with Lewy body dementia may experience visual hallucinations, and changes in alertness and attention. Other effects include Parkinson's disease-like symptoms such as rigid muscles, slow movement and tremors.
As HBO's synopsis for the COME INSIDE MY MIND documentary continues, the network says “The genius of Robin Williams lay in his ability to make a room, a comedy club, a concert hall or the whole world laugh. Family, friends and film crews often saw a man who wasn't’t happy unless everyone else was having a good time — but the dualities Williams embodied were present inside him at all times.”
Fans of the late and great Williams can look forward to viewing the documentary on HBO come July 16th.