Academy Contemporary Docs Series Remembers Invasions of China and Japan

Part One of the 27th annual Contemporary Documentaries series continues through Dec. 3

Beverly Hills,CA(RushPRnews)10/31/08— “Nanking” and “White Light/Black Rain” will screen as part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ “Contemporary Documentaries” series on Wednesday, November 5, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Admission is free.

Directed by Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman and produced by Ted Leonsis, Guttentag and Michael Jacobs, “Nanking” is a powerful, emotional and relevant reminder of the toll war takes on the innocent. The film tells the story of the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China, in the early days of World War II. Mariel Hemingway, who reads the written record left by American missionary Minnie Vautrin in the film, will be present and take questions from the audience following the screening.

Directed and produced by Steven Okazaki, “White Light/Black Rain” provides a graphic, unflinching look at the reality of nuclear warfare through firsthand accounts of Japanese citizens who survived the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and of Americans who carried out those missions.

Part One of the 27th annual Contemporary Documentaries series continues through December 3, showcasing feature-length and short documentaries drawn from the 2007 Academy Award® nominations, including the winners, as well as other important and innovative films considered by the Academy that year. Part Two unspools from March through June of 2009.

All films, with the exception of those scheduled for December 3, will screen at the Linwood Dunn Theater at the Academy’s Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. 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 additional information, visit www.oscars.org or call (310) 247-3600.

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

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