AFI-Discovery Channel SILVERDOCS Documentary Festival Announces Opening and Closing Night Films

AFI-Discovery Channel SILVERDOCS Documentary Festival Announces Opening and Closing Night Films

U.S. Premiere of Lionsgate's MORE THAN A GAME to Open Festival

World Premiere of HBO's THE NINE LIVES OF MARION BARRY to Close SILVERDOCS

SILVER SPRING, Md., May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- AFI-Discovery Channel SILVERDOCS Festival today announced the opening and closing night films for SILVERDOCS 2009. The Festival will open on Monday, June 15, 2009 with the U.S. Premiere of Lionsgate's MORE THAN A GAME, directed by Kristopher Belman, and will close on Saturday, June 20, with the World Premiere of the HBO Documentary Film THE NINE LIVES OF MARION BARRY, directed by Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer. SILVERDOCS presents eight days of programming showcasing 100 films plus special screenings, music performances and dozens of panel discussions featuring hundreds of filmmakers, subjects and media professionals. Now in its seventh year, SILVERDOCS -- along with its concurrent International Documentary Conference -- is the pre-eminent documentary festival in the U.S.

A remarkable coming of age story about friendship and loyalty in the face of great adversity, Kristopher Belman's MORE THAN A GAME follows the incredible rise (and occasional fall) of five talented young basketball players from Akron, Ohio. Led by future NBA superstar LeBron James and coached by a charismatic yet initially inexperienced player's father, Dru Joyce III, the "Fab Five's" improbable seven-year journey lead them from a decrepit inner-city gym to the doorstep of a national high school championship. Director Kristopher Belman and players Willie McGee and Romeo Travis will be in attendance. Schedule permitting, LeBron James and other special guests will attend.

The Festival will close with the World Premiere of the HBO Documentary Film THE NINE LIVES OF MARION BARRY, directed by Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer. Many people remember Marion Barry as the philandering drug-using mayor of the nation's capital, who was famously caught in a 1990 FBI sting operation. Yet others know him as a folk hero, a civil rights champion and defender of the poor. Barry's soaring achievements, catastrophic failures and phoenix-like rebirths have made him a symbol of mythic indestructibility. Who is Marion Barry, really? A hero? A scoundrel? Why is he such a polarizing force? And why do people still vote for him? For the first time, THE NINE LIVES OF MARION BARRY reveals the complete unforgettable story. Directors Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer are scheduled to attend along with Marion Barry and other special guests.

"We are thrilled to open the 2009 SILVERDOCS Festival with Kristopher Belman's MORE THAN A GAME," said Sky Sitney, SILVERDOCS Artistic Director. "With a heart-racing narrative and magnificent cast of subjects, the film addresses both contemporary social issues and personal struggles and triumphs, and is an inspiring message to all."

Of the closing night film, Sitney said, "THE NINE LIVES OF MARION BARRY is not just a DC story about one man's rise and fall, but a universal story of promise, disillusionment, and the quest for redemption. While its message speaks globally, we are thrilled to launch the film in the city that serves not merely as an essential backdrop to the story, but as a character itself."

For more information about SILVERDOCS, go to SILVERDOCS.com

For further information on Lionsgate's MORE THAN A GAME please visit: www.lionsgatepublicity.com/epk/morethanagame/

For further information on HBO's THE NINE LIVES OF MARION BARRY please visit: www.hbo.com/docs

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: SILVERDOCS

CONTACT: Jody Arlington, +1-301-495-6759, jarlington@AFI.com, or Tammy
Shea, +1-240-662-6506, Tammy_Shea@discovery.com, both for SILVERDOCS

Web Site: http://www.silverdocs.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment