| News & Links | FREAKONOMICS to Open Silverdocs 2010 SILVERDOCS

FREAKONOMICS to Open Silverdocs 2010

AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival today announced that Magnolia’s FREAKONOMICS will be the opening night film on Monday June 21, 2010. FREAKONOMICS is based on Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner’s bestselling book, Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Exposes the Hidden Side of Everything, and is directed by a “dream team” of documentary filmmakers, including Alex Gibney (TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE), Morgan Spurlock (SUPER SIZE ME), Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing (JESUS CAMP), Eugene Jarecki (WHY WE FIGHT) and Seth Gordon (KING OF KONG). Silverdocs 2010 presents seven days of programming showcasing over 80 films plus special screenings, music performances and dozens of panel discussions featuring hundreds of filmmakers, diverse topics and media professionals.

“We are thrilled to open Festival with FREAKONOMICS, one of this year’s most highly anticipated documentaries,” said Sky Sitney, Festival Artistic Director. “Thanks to a team of celebrated documentarians, one of the best-selling books of the past decade debuts on the big screen for a riveting cinematic experience.”

The book famously applied statistics and incentives to analyze human behaviors, which yielded surprising and controversial conclusions that years of psychology and moral philosophy had yet to reveal. In the film, Alex Gibney looks behind the fragile façade of Sumo wrestling and exposes uncomfortable truths about this ancient and revered sport; Morgan Spurlock examines the consequences of a name, and whether being dubbed Sheniqua, Tripp, or Moon Unit have any affect on one’s future prospects; Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing explore whether money can be used to incentivize underachieving kids to improve their grades in school; Eugene Jarecki investigates Levitt’s provocative theory as to why crime rates dramatically dropped in the early '90s; and Seth Gordon weaves the pieces together with playful animation and commentary from the authors. Filmmakers Alex Gibney, Morgan Spulock, Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing will attend the opening and participate in a post-screening discussion.