The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will launch its 28th annual “Contemporary Documentaries” screening series with OscarĀ® winner “Man on Wire” and “In a Dream” on Wednesday, September 30, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Admission to all screenings in the series is free.
“Man on Wire” recalls the story of Philippe Petit, who in 1974 stepped out on a wire illegally rigged between the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center, in a feat that became known as “the artistic crime of the century.” Directed by James Marsh and produced by Simon Chinn, “Man on Wire” won the 2008 Academy AwardĀ® for Documentary Feature.
“In a Dream” chronicles the work of artist Isaiah Zagar, who has covered Philadelphia with mosaic murals for the past four decades, and his tumultuous relationship with his wife as a new chapter in their life unfolds. “In a Dream” was directed by Jeremiah Zagar and produced by Jeremy Yaches.
The 28th annual “Contemporary Documentaries” series is a showcase for feature-length and short documentaries drawn from the 2008 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 2009. The screening schedule is as follows:
September 30
“Man on Wire”
Directed by James Marsh
Produced by Simon Chinn
Academy Award winner: Documentary Feature
“In a Dream”
Directed by Jeremiah Zagar
Produced by Jeremy Yaches
October 7
“The Garden”
Directed and produced by Scott Hamilton Kennedy
Academy Award nominee: Documentary Feature
“Crips and Bloods: Made in America”
Directed by Stacy Peralta
Produced by Baron Davis, Dan Halsted, Peralta, Jesse Dylan
October 21
“Encounters at the End of the World”
Directed by Werner Herzog
Produced by Henry Kaiser
Academy Award nominee: Documentary Feature
“Flow”
Directed by Irena Salina
Produced by Steven Starr
November 4
“David McCullough: Painting with Words”
Directed by Mark Herzog
Produced by Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman
“GLASS: a portrait of Philip in twelve parts”
Directed by Scott Hicks
Produced by Hicks, Susanne Preissler
November 11
“Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh”
Directed by Roberta Grossman
Produced by Grossman, Lisa Thomas
“Pray the Devil Back to Hell”
Directed by Gini Reticker
Produced by Abigail E. Disney
December 9
At the IMAX Theater, California Science Center, Exposition Park
“Wild Ocean”
Directed by Luke Cresswell, Steve McNicholas
Produced by Don Kempf, Steve Kempf, David Marks
“Hurricane on the Bayou” *
Directed and produced by Greg MacGillivray
* Submitted to the Academy in 2006
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 presentations on December 9. Filmmakers will be present at screenings whenever possible. 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 more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.