TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, NO END IN SIGHT Screening

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences launches its 27th annual "Contemporary Documentaries" series with two widely praised Iraq War films: Alex Gibney's Academy Award winner Taxi to the Dark Side and Charles Ferguson's Academy Award-nominated No End in Sight. The screenings will take place on Wednesday, September 24, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Admission to all screenings in the series is free. Filmmakers will be present at the screenings whenever possible.

Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin may believe that the US invasion of Iraq was a "task that is from God," but apparently both Alex Gibney and Charles Ferguson think otherwise.

Taxi to the Dark Side revolves around the mysterious death of an Afghan taxi driver at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, exposing the United States government and military's use of torture and abrogation of human rights. Directed by Gibney, Taxi to the Dark Side was produced by Gibney, Eva Orner, and Susannah Shipman. Orner will take part in a Q&A following the screening.

No End in Sight examines the reasons for Iraq's descent into guerrilla warfare and anarchy following the 2003 US invasion, one of the biggest — and deadliest — strategic blunders in modern history. Directed by Ferguson, No End in Sight was produced by Ferguson, Jennie Amias, Audrey Marrs, and Jessie Vogelson. Ferguson and Marrs will both be present for a Q&A following the screening.

As per the Academy's press release, "the 27th annual Contemporary Documentaries series is a showcase for 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." The first part of the "Contemporary Documentaries" series comprises 14 films that will screen on Wednesday evenings through December 3. The series will resume in March 2009 and continue through June.

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. All seating is unreserved. Filmmakers will be present at screenings whenever possible.

The December 3 screening will take place at the IMAX Theater at the California Science Center in Exposition Park. For directions and parking information, call (323) SCIENCE.

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.

Photos: Courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library