Academy's Doc Series Explores Life on Africa's Edge 10/13

"Garbage Dreams" and "Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders" will screen as the next installment in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 29th annual "Contemporary Documentaries" series on Wednesday, October 13, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Admission to all screenings in the series is free.

Directed and produced by Mai Iskander, "Garbage Dreams" follows three teenage boys born into the trash trade in one of the world's largest garbage villages, located in Cairo. When they are suddenly faced with the globalization of their trade, each boy is forced to make choices that will impact his future and their community's survival.

Filmed in war-torn Liberia and Congo, "Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders" follows four volunteer doctors as they confront the limits of humanitarian idealism in extreme conditions. Mark N. Hopkins directed the film, which he also produced with Naisola Grimwood and Daniel Holton-Roth.

The 29th annual "Contemporary Documentaries" series continues through November 17, showcasing feature-length and short documentaries drawn from the 2009 Academy Award® nominations, including the winners, as well as other important and innovative films considered by the Academy that year.

All films will screen at the Linwood Dunn Theater at the Academy's Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. All seating is unreserved. The filmmakers will be present at screenings whenever possible.

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.