Date: December 21, 2006
Contact: Dr. Karen Buzzard
(417) 836-5218

SPRINGFIELD — Six documentaries will be shown in the spring University Film Series at Missouri State University. Each showing will be in Plaster Student Union Theater beginning at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Free parking is available at the lot on the corner of National Avenue and Grand Street.

“The media, journalism and film department, together with the film series board, is excited to offer a new genre for us this spring: the documentary film,” said Dr. Karen Buzzard, head of the department. “Documentaries give us a unique look at the world around us as well as express universals and peculiarities about the human condition. We are proud to offer the university and the Springfield community a unique opportunity to view documentaries chosen for their excellence.” The film series is funded by the provost’s office at Missouri State University.

Jan. 19 – The Life and Times of Alan Ginsburg: Jerry Aronson offers an engaging look at the man some people have called the emotional epicenter of the Beat triad, poet Allen Ginsberg. Aronson’s 83-minute film is a meticulously-researched chunk of underground Americana that traces the poet’s full life from dysfunctional beginnings to legendary status.

Feb. 2 – Why We Fight: Eugene Jarecki digs into the ideals of military supremacy, and whether the pursuit of it has locked the United States of America into an Orwellian nightmare.

Feb. 9 – Murderball: Visceral and violent, the film follows a group of quadriplegic athletes who compete in full-contact rugby, proving to the world - and themselves - that the fire of life still drives them.

Feb. 23 – Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?: This debut feature from former St. Louis lab technician/high school English teacher Frank Popper follows the longshot campaign of Jeff Smith, a 29-year-old teacher and political neophyte who decides to take on nine opponents and a much too complacent voter base in the 2004 Democratic primary for the United States Congressional seat being vacated by House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt.

March 2 – Sacco and Vanzetti: Peter Miller’s film tells the story of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, two Italian immigrant anarchists who were accused of murder during a payroll robbery in 1920, and after a notoriously prejudiced trial were executed in Boston in 1927.

March 30 – 49 Up: The latest in a series of documentaries following the study and growth of 14 English children, starting at age 7, finds the remaining participants at almost half a century old.