Academy’s Contemporary Documentaries Series Returns With INSIDE JOB

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will kick off its 30th annual “Contemporary Documentaries” screening series with last year’s Oscar®-winning feature, “Inside Job,” and “Casino Jack and the United States of Money” on Wednesday, September 21, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.

Admission to all screenings in the series is free.

Directed by Charles Ferguson, who produced the film with Audrey Marrs, “Inside Job” traces the financial practices that laid the groundwork for the global economic crisis in an examination that places blame in the hands of many who are still in power. Predatory lending, credit default swaps and financial deregulation are subjected to close scrutiny and criticism in a primer on the situation that affected the lives of millions.

“Casino Jack and the United States of Money,” a portrait of disgraced Washington super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, confirms the adage that truth is indeed stranger than fiction. A tale of international intrigue with Indian casinos, Russian spies, Chinese sweatshops and a mob-style killing in Miami, this is a story of the way money corrupts our political process. The film was directed by Alex Gibney and produced by Gibney, Alison Ellwood and Zena Barakat.

The 30th annual “Contemporary Documentaries” series is a showcase for feature-length and short documentaries drawn from the 2010 Academy Award® nominations, including the winners, as well as other important and innovative films considered by the Academy that year.

Part One of this two-part series runs through December. The screening schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, September 21

“Inside Job”
Directed by Charles Ferguson
Produced by Ferguson, Audrey Marrs
Academy Award winner: Documentary Feature

“Casino Jack and the United States of Money”
Directed by Alex Gibney
Produced by Gibney, Alison Ellwood, Zena Barakat

Wednesday, October 5

“Sun Come Up”
Directed by Jennifer Redfearn          
Produced by Redfearn, Tim Metzger
Academy Award nominee: Documentary Short Subject

“Waste Land”
Directed by Lucy Walker
Produced by Angus Aynsley, Hank Levine
Academy Award nominee: Documentary Feature

Wednesday, October 19

“Strangers No More”
Directed and produced by Karen Goodman, Kirk Simon
Academy Award winner: Documentary Short Subject

“Precious Life”
Directed by Shlomi Eldar
Produced by Ehud Bleiberg, Yoav Ze’evi

Wednesday, November 2

“Restrepo”
Directed and produced by Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger
Academy Award nominee: Documentary Feature

“The Tillman Story”
Directed by Amir Bar-Lev
Produced by John Battsek

Wednesday, November 9

“Born Sweet”
Directed and produced by Cynthia Wade

“Enemies of the People”
Directed and produced by Rob Lemkin, Thet Sambath

Wednesday, November 30

“The Lottery”
Directed by Madeleine Sackler
Produced by Blake Ashman-Kipervaser, James Lawler, Sackler

“Waiting for ‘Superman’”
Directed by Davis Guggenheim
Produced by Lesley Chilcott
Wednesday, December 7 – At the California Science Center IMAX Theater

“Hubble 3D”
Directed and produced by Toni Myers

All films will screen at the Linwood Dunn Theater at the Academy’s Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., except for the IMAX presentation on December 7. Doors open at 6 p.m. All seating is unreserved. The filmmakers will be present at screenings whenever possible.

The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. Free parking is available through the entrance on Homewood Avenue (one block north of Fountain Avenue). For additional information, visit www.oscars.org or call (310) 247-3600.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

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