November 27, 2000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  Leslie Unger - (310) 247-3000

                         lunger@oscars.org

Beverly Hills, CA - Part One of the 19th Annual Contemporary Documentary Series will conclude on Tuesday, December 12, at 7 p.m., with a three-film screening at the IMAX Theater at Exposition Park. Presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy Foundation and the UCLA Film and Television Archive, the screening is free and open to the public.

"Island of the Sharks" examines the wildlife of the waters surrounding Cocos Island, located off the western coast of Costa Rica. The island was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" and, according to rumors, a pirates' refuge with buried loot. The waters surrounding the island are brimming with life and are a rendezvous point for several different species of shark. The film features stunning underwater photography of storms and schools of seals, marlin and shark on the hunt for food. It was directed by Howard Hall and produced by Hall and Michele Binder. Hall and Binder will participate in a questions-and-answer session following their film.

The 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, is the setting for "Olympic Glory." Between spectacular sequences of bobsled races and snowboarding are profiles of athletes such as Philip Bait, a Kenyan cross-country skier making his Olympic debut at Nagano, and Bjorn Daehlie, the world's greatest cross-country skier and the most decorated Olympian of all time. The film was directed by Kieth Merrill and produced by Frank Marshall and Scott Swofford. Marshall will attend and take questions from the audience.

"Wolves" examines both fact and fiction surrounding this fabled creature and explores how humankind's attitudes toward the animal have been shaped. From a Nez Perce ceremonial dance to the interior of a wolf den, to a battle between an Arctic wolf and a musk ox, "Wolves" assembles a multifaceted portrait of this maligned and magnificent creature. The film was directed by David Douglas and produced by Pietro Serapiglia and Goulam Amarsy. Douglas will be present for a discussion of his film following the screening.

The IMAX Theater is located at the California Museum of Science and Industry on Exhibition Boulevard at Figueroa Street. Parking is available for $5 in the lot on Figueroa and 39th Street. For more information, call (310) 206-FILM.