Academy Contemporary Docs Series Explores Activism through Film

Beverly Hills, CA (October 15, 2008)— “The 11th Hour” and “Pete Seeger: The Power of Song” will screen as part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ “Contemporary Documentaries” series on Wednesday, October 22, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Admission is free.

Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, “The 11th Hour” features noted politicians, scientists and other ecological ambassadors exploring the planet’s perilous state, stressing the importance of informed intervention to change its potentially disastrous course. Producer-director Leila Conners Petersen and director Nadia Conners will take questions from the audience following the screening.

Directed by Jim Brown and produced by Brown, Michael Cohl and William Eigen, “Pete Seeger: The Power of Song” documents the life of one of the greatest American singer/songwriters of the last century with archival footage and clips from his own personal films.

Part One of the 27th annual Contemporary Documentaries series continues through December 3, showcasing feature-length and short documentaries drawn from the 2007 Academy Award^®nominations, including the winners, as well as other important and innovative films considered by the Academy that year. Part Two unspools from March through June of 2009.

All films, with the exception of those scheduled for December 3, 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 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.