September 9, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Leslie Unger - (310) 247-3000
                        lunger@oscars.org

Beverly Hills, CA - Fifteen short and feature length documentaries will be screened in Part One of the 2003 - 2004 Contemporary Documentary Series, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy Foundation and the UCLA Film and Television Archive. The series kicks off October 1, at 7:30 p.m., at UCLA's James Bridges Theater. All screenings in the series are free.

Following is the complete schedule for Part One:

October 1
" Twin Towers" (directed by Bill Guttentag, Robert David Port; produced by Guttentag) Academy Award winner.
" Telling Nicholas" (directed and produced by James Ronald Whitney)

October 8
" Spellbound" (directed by Jeffrey Blitz, produced by Blitz, Sean Welch) Academy Award Nominee.
" OT: Our Town" (directed and produced by Scott Hamilton Kennedy)

October 29
" Going Home" (directed by Mark Benjamin, produced by Benjamin, Steve Kalafer)
" Rape Is" (directed and produced by Margaret Lazarus, Renner Wunderlich)
" How Do You Spell Murder?" (directed and produced by Alan Raymond, Susan Raymond)

November 12
" The Price of Freedom" (directed by Bruce Norfleet, produced by Steve Kalafer, Norfleet)
" Berga: Soldiers of Another War" (directed by Charles Guggenheim, produced by Grace Guggenheim)

November 19
" Accabonac Harbor" (directed and produced by Alec Hirschfeld)
" Winged Migration" (directed and produced by Jacques Perrin) Academy Award Nominee.

December 3
" The Collector of Bedford Street" (directed and produced by Alice Elliott) Academy Award Nominee.
" Imagining Robert" (directed and produced by Lawrence Hott)

December 10 - special screening at the IMAX Theater
" Ultimate X" (directed by Bruce Hendricks, produced by Art Repola)
" Space Station" (directed and produced by Toni Myers)

The first two films in the series, both screening on October 1, focus on the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "Twin Towers" was begun as a documentary about a heavily decorated, retired New York firefighter and his two sons - one of whom became a firefighter, the other a policeman. The film takes a sudden turn when both sons' unit and precinct are among the first to answer the call for help.

From the thousands of fliers of missing loved ones that wallpapered New York City in the aftermath of 9/11, the filmmaker of "Telling Nicholas" contacted Michele Lanza's family. The film chronicles a husband's painful journey and the unimaginable burden of having to tell their seven-year-old son that his mother was not coming back.

All screenings begin at 7:30 p.m. and will take place in the James Bridges Theater on the UCLA campus, except for the December 10 program at the IMAX Theater, which begins at 7 p.m. Filmmakers will be present whenever possible to discuss their films and take questions from the audience. Part Two of the series will begin in January.

The James Bridges Theater is located in Westwood on the northeast corner of the UCLA campus, near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Hilgard Avenue. Parking is available for $7 in Lot 3, adjacent to the theater. 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 310-247-3600 or 310-206-FILM.