MURDERBALL Knocks Out Hollywood Bias; Spinal Cord Injury Bounces Back

MURDERBALL Knocks Out Hollywood Bias; Spinal Cord Injury Bounces Back

WASHINGTON, May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) hosts a Washington, DC advance screening of the Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary MURDERBALL, about quadriplegic rugby, Sunday, May 8, 2005; 6:00 PM; Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW. This "sneak preview" kicks-off the Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Summit, "Facing Issues, Creating Solutions(TM)" and the SCI Hall of Fame(TM).

"MURDERBALL is not the usual tale of pitiful woe generally popular in the media," stated NSCIA CEO Marcie Roth. "In the wake of black-eye images against life after spinal cord injury presented in Million Dollar Baby, MURDERBALL brings home the GOLD. This is a refreshingly audacious full-court expose about hard driving, competent individuals with SCI achieving dream goals in sports, love and life."

MURDERBALL, will be released in theaters in July, and stars Mark Zupan, real-life USA Rugby Team Captain. Zupan will attend and wrangle a lively Q&A after the screening.

MURDERBALL launches SCI Summit 2005, May 9-11. The Summit will galvanize 200 thought-leaders and key influencers from across America to join forces with federal, media and corporate partners.

Another highlight of SCI Summit 2005 is a Media Plenary Monday, May 9, 2005 at 2 PM at the Mayflower to explore disability bias in the media. Participants include Robert David Hall, star of CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Peabody and Emmy-Award winning reporter John Hockenberry, Jay Mathews of the Washington Post, and Dan Raviv of CBS National Radio Weekend Roundup.

Additionally, NSCIA and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts host the first-ever SCI Hall of Fame(TM) on May 9 at 7:30 PM at the Millennium Stage, emceed by Robert David Hall. Ten notable inductees including Teddy Pendergrass, John Hockenberry and Senator Tom Harkin, will receive awards following a 6 PM performance by jazz singer/composer with SCI survivor Lisa Thorson.

Founded in 1948, NSCIA forges paths in policy and services that empower people with SCI. NSCIA (http://www.spinalcord.org/) hosts panels of experts as media sources, covering all aspects of SCI: quality of life, research, media, rehabilitation, international issues, disabled veterans and civilians, trends and technology.

Source: National Spinal Cord Injury Association

CONTACT: Janine Bertram Kemp of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, +1-503-504-9787, jbertramkemp@spinalcord.org; or Tari Susan Hartman-Squire, +1-310-650-0595, tari@EINSOFcommunications.com, for the National Spinal Cord Injury Association

Web site: http://www.spinalcord.org/

------- Profile: Ent