Academy Docs Expose Horrors, Heroes of Afghanista​n War

Beverly Hills, CA – The 2010 Oscar® nominee “Restrepo” and “The Tillman Story” will screen as the next installment in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 30th annual “Contemporary Documentaries” series on Wednesday, November 2, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Admission to all screenings in the series is free.

Directed and produced by Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger, “Restrepo” chronicles the lives of soldiers at war as it explores the experiences of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. Through conversations with the men over a period of many months, a portrait emerges of the devastating toll that war takes as lives are lost, and as surviving soldiers struggle to find meaning in their devotion to their comrades. The film earned an Academy Award® nomination for Documentary Feature. Junger will be present to take questions from the audience following the screening.

“The Tillman Story” recounts the story of professional football player Pat Tillman, who walked away from a lucrative contract to enlist in the army after the 9/11 attacks. When he died in Afghanistan, military officials turned his story into a useful publicity tool. But as the true details of Tillman’s death by friendly fire emerged, his outraged family demanded that the army be held accountable for its distortion of the facts. Director Amir Bar-Lev will be present to take questions from the audience following the screening.

The 30th annual “Contemporary Documentaries” series continues through December 7, showcasing feature-length and short documentaries drawn from the 2010 Academy Award nominations, including the winners, as well as other important and innovative films considered by the Academy that year.

All films will screen at the Linwood Dunn Theater at the Academy’s Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., except for the IMAX presentation on December 7. Doors open at 6 p.m. All seating is unreserved. The filmmakers will be present at screenings whenever possible.

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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