I.O.U.S.A. Makes Oscar Shortlist For
Best Documentary Feature
Timely film about the growing national debt among 15 considered for nomination.
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Elizabeth Wilner / Myra Sung
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LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Nov. 18, 2008) - I.O.U.S.A., the critically acclaimed film about the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the United States economy, is on the short list for an Oscar nomination in the Best Documentary Feature category. The film, directed by Sundance veteran Patrick Creadon (Wordplay), is among the 15 documentary features that will now advance in the voting process designating the final five nominees for next year's Academy Awards.
I.O.U.S.A. has garnered rave reviews from critics since its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three and a half stars and it has been dubbed An Inconvenient Truth for the United States economy by the many in the press.
As anxious individuals face growing economic uncertainty, both domestically and abroad, the film has been the focus of a unique groundswell of interest and grassroots activity. Educators are bringing the film to their classrooms as a vital teaching tool, while young Americans are using the film on college campuses to raise awareness among their peers on fiscal issues crucial to their futures.
Advocacy and watchdog groups, along with various community organizations around the nation, have been hosting private screenings of I.O.U.S.A. for members and local residents. A 30-minute version of I.O.U.S.A., which is now available for viewing on the film's website, and on YouTube, has also been a vital tool for a growing number of citizens seeking to spread the film's important messages.
Pointedly topical and consummately nonpartisan, I.O.U.S.A. paints a vivid and alarming profile of America's current economic situation and drives home the message that the time to begin addressing America's financial future is now. The film follows former U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker and Robert Bixby of the Concord Coalition as they crisscross the country explaining America's unsustainable fiscal policies to its citizens as part of the Fiscal Wake-up Tour. The film also features candid interviews with noted experts such as Warren Buffett, Alan Greenspan, Paul O'Neill, Robert Rubin, and Paul Volcker, as well as with everyday citizens.
The record-setting August opening included an unprecedented town hall featuring financial and policy experts such as Warren Buffett and Peter G. Peterson Foundation's Chairman Pete Peterson and CEO Dave Walker, which was beamed via satellite to over 350 movie theaters in 42 states across the country.
About the Peter G. Peterson Foundation:
Founded by the senior chairman of The Blackstone Group with a personal commitment of at least $1 billion, the Foundation is dedicated to increasing public awareness of the nature and urgency of key fiscal challenges threatening America's future, and to accelerating action on them. To address these challenges successfully, we work to bring Americans together to find sensible, long-term solutions that transcend age, party lines and ideological divides in order to achieve real results.
