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Tuesday at SILVERDOCS

TUESDAY AT SILVERDOCS: EAST COAST PREMIERE OF FACING ALI Silver Spring, Maryland, June 16, 2009—SILVERDOCS presents FACING ALI, directed by Pete McCormack and produced by Derik Murray. Muhammad Ali is one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century, and the film includes interviews from around the world with the men who stepped into the ring with the three-time heavyweight champion, including Larry Holmes, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman, sharing their own personal experiences “facing Ali.” The film combines rare archival footage and classic photos, highlighting Ali’s colorful combatants, with original intimate interviews. Longtime USA Today sports writer David DuPree will moderate a post-screening discussion with filmmaker Pete McCormack and producer Derik Murray. And will be introduced by Muhammad Ali Center President Greg Roberts.

WHAT: SILVERDOCS Presents FACING ALI

WHO:

Pete McCormack, Filmmaker
Derik Murray, Producer
Greg Roberts, President, Muhammad Ali Center
David DuPree, USA Today sports writer, Moderator

WHEN: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 6:15 p.m. Photo-Op 7:00 p.m. Film 8:30 p.m. Q&A

WHERE: AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD Space is limited for screening. Not all media can be accommodated. Accredited media can use their pass to enter the screening but must arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start time. Non-accredited press wishing to attend should RSVP to efm245@nyu.edu

OTHER TUESDAY EVENTS:

11:00 a.m. SILVERDOCS Conference—THE GOOD PITCH, aimed at directors and producers eager to work in partnership to harness the power of documentary to create positive change. Eight inspiring film projects which tackle important global and national issues will be presented to a group of experts from charities, foundations, advertising agencies, public and commercial media interests.

12:00 p.m. SILVERDOCS presents “City(e)scapes,” a free showing of short films featuring CHUNGKING DREAM, PLANE DAYS, SOLITARY LIFE OF CRANES, and THE SHUTDOWN.

12:15 p.m. SILVERDOCS presents Part One of the Albert Maysles Shorts Program, showcasing the early films of Maysles, this year’s Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree, including PSYCHIATRY IN RUSSIA, RUSSIAN CLOSE-UP, ANASTASIA, IBM: A SELF-PORTRAIT, and CUT PIECE.

12:30 p.m. Filmmaker Ferenc Moldovanyi presents the East Coast premiere of ANOTHER PLANET (MÁSIK BOLYGÓ), a powerful globe-spanning film that introduces us to children who are struggling to survive as trash scavengers, soldiers, and sex workers.

1:45 p.m. Screening of “Intimate Encounters,” a shorts program featuring TILL IT HURTS (DO BOLU), SISTER WIFE, BYE BYE C’EST FINI, and BITCH ACADEMY.

2:00 p.m. SILVERDOCS presents the US premiere of HUNTING DOWN MEMORY (JAKTEN PÅ HUKOMMELSEN), which tells the story of Øyvind Aamot, a 27-year-old who woke up in a foreign country not knowing who he was, what he was doing there, or how he got there in the first place, and his journey home. Film subject Øyvind Aamot in attendance.

3:00 p.m. Filmmaker Anne Aghion presents MY NEIGHBOR, MY KILLER, centering on the open-air hearings with citizen-judges established by the Rwandan government after the country was torn apart by ethnic division and the question of whether it is possible to live again amongst people who slaughtered your family.

4:00 p.m. SILVERDOCS presents THE APPRENTICE (L’APPRENTI), a film following Mathieu, a young French man studying at a vocational high school in a small town who begins an internship at a farm where he acquires real-world knowledge that can never be learned in a classroom.

4:30 p.m. Filmmaker Nicole Opper presents OFF AND RUNNING, a story of race, identity, and family focusing on Avery, an accomplished African-American teenager adopted by Jewish lesbians.

5:00 p.m. Filmmaker Safina Uberoi presents the US premiere of A GOOD MAN, following Australian farmer Chris Rohrlach and his awe-inspiring wife Rachel- who is paralyzed from the neck down- as they try to operate a brothel in the hopes that the extra income will help them makes ends meet.

5:15 p.m. Filmmaker Joe Berlinger presents CRUDE, a emotionally charged legal drama set in the rainforests of Ecuador, where indigenous tribes, American oil companies, environmental activists, and an armada of lawyers spar over a botched oil-spill remediation deep in the Amazonian jungle.

5:30 p.m. Filmmaker Coco Schrijber presents BLOODY MONDAYS & STRAWBERRY PIES, a film narrated by John Malkovich that examines boredom and the human condition through portraits of a stockbroker, pie factory worker, artist, nomad and school shooter.

6:15 p.m. Filmmaker Yoav Shamir presents DEFAMATION, a provocative and humorous look at contemporary anti-Semitism exploring the difference between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. Post-screening discussion with the filmmaker, NPR’s Talk of the Nation host Neal Conan and Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen.

7:00 p.m. Filmmaker Pete McCormack presents FACING ALI, a film chronicling 10 heavyweight boxers, including Larry Holmes, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman, who faced and fought The Greatest. USA Today sports writer David DuPree moderating a post-screening discussion with the filmmaker and producer, Derik Murray.

7:15 p.m. Filmmaker Leila Kilani presents the North American premiere of OUR FORBIDDEN PLACES, which tracks four Moroccan families’ search for the truth through the Equity and Reconciliation Commission, established in 2004 to investigate the state-sponsored disappearance of many citizens after the country won independence in 1956.

7:45 p.m. Producers Martin Herring and Mike Lerner present AFGHAN STAR, the story of four contestants on the immensely popular TV show “Afghan Star.” Post-screening discussion with the filmmakers and Tolo TV owner Jahid Mohseni, which broadcasts “Afghan Star”.

8:00 p.m. Filmmaker Luciano Blotta presents the US premiere of RISEUP, a film exploring class and gender issues in Jamaica while following three musicians’ fight for a place in the overcrowded reggae field.

8:45 p.m. Filmmaker Francois Verster presents the US premiere of SEA POINT DAYS, an examination of post-Apartheid South Africa focusing on the formerly segregated public pools and promenade at Sea Point, a gorgeous section of Cape Town that now reflects the country’s immense diversity.

9:45 p.m. Filmmaker Beadie Finzi presents ONLY WHEN I DANCE, an uplifting film tracing the improbable journey of two teenage ballet hopefuls from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro to the highest levels of international ballet competition.

9:45 p.m. Filmmaker Christi Callan-Jones presents the US premiere of CAT LADIES, a quirky film that offers a revealing look into the lives and motivations of four “cat ladies.” Showing with FORTY MEN FROM THE YUKON.

10:00 p.m. Filmmaker Faiza Ahmad Khan presents the East Coast premiere of SUPERMEN OF MALEGAON, a terrifically fun feature documenting the making of a low-budget interpretation of SUPERMAN infused with the local culture of Malegaon, India. Showing with THE REAL PLACE.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:

Jody Arlington, SILVERDOCS 301.495.6759, jarlington@AFI.com

Tammy Shea, Discovery Communications 240.662.6506, Tammy_Shea@Discovery.com