Chavez Ravine: A Los Angeles Story (above), Best Sister, Hotel City, and Autism Is a World are four short documentaries that will be screened in the "Contemporary Documentary" series presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy Foundation and the UCLA Film and Television Archive on Feb. 1.
Directed by Jordan Mechner, and produced by Mechner with Don Normark, Chavez Ravine: A Los Angeles Story chronicles the eviction of 300 families in a Mexican-American community near downtown LA. A public housing project was promised at the time, but instead the powers-that-be opted to build Dodger Stadium.
Ira Wohl's Best Sister tells the story of the filmmaker's elderly cousin, Frances. In 1979, Wohl won an Oscar for Best Boy, which focused on Frances' mentally retarded brother, Philly.
Phoebe Tooke's Hotel City follows a group of San Francisco tenants from several Single Residence Occupancy hotels as they join forces to improve their quality of life.
Gerardine Wurzburg's Academy Award-nominated Autism Is a World follows Sue Rubin, who at age 13 began making use of "facilitated communication" techniques to eventually get over obstacles resulting from her autistic condition.
For more information, call 310-247-3600 or 310-206-FILM.
there is still no permament solution for autism. we just have to take good care of the kids who are suffering autism..";