Academy Docs Offer Hope for Declining American Public School System

Beverly Hills, CA – "The Lottery" and "Waiting for 'Superman'" will screen as the next installment in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 30th annual "Contemporary Documentaries" series on Wednesday, November 30, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Admission to all screenings in the series is free.


With New York's public school system failing to educate many of its children and the teachers union blocking the termination of members with poor success records, "The Lottery" highlights the Harlem Success Academies as a beacon of hope for many students. But the schools have room for only 475 children, so the three thousand who apply each year must trust their fate to a lottery. The film was directed by Madeleine Sackler, who also produced with Blake Ashman-Kipervaser and James Lawler. Sackler will be present to take questions from the audience following the screening.


Directed by Davis Guggenheim and produced by Lesley Chilcott, "Waiting for 'Superman'" examines the decline of the American public school system, which leaves many children cheated out of the life-changing benefits of a good education. Gifted educators throughout the country, however, are transforming their troubled schools and offering hope to students in disadvantaged neighborhoods.


The 30th annual "Contemporary Documentaries" series continues through December 7, showcasing 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.


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.