ACADEMY DOCS MAP ROADS TO HEALING, RECOVERY

Beverly Hills, CA – The documentary short subjects "Living for 32" and "One Thousand Pictures: RFK’s Last Journey," and the documentary feature "This Way of Life" will screen as the next installment in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 30th annual "Contemporary Documentaries" series on Wednesday, April 18, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Admission to all screenings in the series is free.

Directed by Kevin Breslin and produced by Maria Cuomo Cole, "Living for 32" follows Colin Goddard, a survivor of the 2007 shooting spree that claimed the lives of 32 of his classmates at Virginia Tech, as he tries to live his life in a way that will honor the memory of those who died. Cole and Goddard will be present to take questions from the audience following the screening.

Produced by Jennifer Stoddart, "One Thousand Pictures: RFK’s Last Journey" recalls the thousands of people who lined the route in tribute when Robert F. Kennedy’s funeral train traveled from New York to Washington following his 1968 assassination.

Directed by Thomas Burstyn and produced by Barbara Sumner-Burstyn, "This Way of Life" tells the story of Peter Ottley Karena and his wife, Colleen, who live with their six children in the remote Ruahine Mountains of New Zealand. Their idyllic life is disrupted when men who claim to have purchased the family’s house and land from Peter’s estranged father arrive to take ownership of the property.

The 30th annual "Contemporary Documentaries" series continues through May 30, 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. 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.

Academy Doc Series Explores the Infinite

Beverly Hills, CA – The IMAX feature "Hubble 3D" will screen as the final installment in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 30th annual "Contemporary Documentaries" series on Wednesday, December 7, at 7 p.m. at the California Science Center IMAX Theater in Exposition Park. Admission to the screening is free; parking at the Science Center is $10 (cash only).

Directed and produced by Toni Myers, "Hubble 3D" explores the far reaches of the universe and brings audiences alongside space-walking astronauts as they repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Cinematographer James Neihouse will be present to take questions from the audience following the screening.

This screening concludes Part One of the 30th annual "Contemporary Documentaries" series, 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. Part Two of the series will begin in March 2012.

The California Science Center is located in Exposition Park, at the corner of Figueroa Street and 39th Street in Los Angeles. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. For additional information, visit www.oscars.org or call (310) 247-3600.

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.