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'I.O.U.S.A.' Makes TV Debut on CNN

By Tom White


I.O.U.S.A., the prescient, timely and perhaps timeless doc from Patrick Creadon about the national debt crisis that has, in part, led to the economic turmoil we find ourselves in, is making its television debut Saturday, January 10 and Sunday, January 11, on CNN.

The film, which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, also screened at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions last summer, and has earned considerable acclaim from critics and audiences alike.

The broadcast will be hosted by Ali Velshi and Christine Romans, co-anchors of CNN's Your $$$$$, the network's weekend business roundtable program. Throughout the broadcast, Velshi and Romans will engage a distinguished group of panelists including Pete Peterson, chairman of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and former US Commerce Secretary; Dave Walker, president and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and former US Comptroller General; Alice Rivlin, noted economist and former director of the Office of Management and Budget; and Bill Bradley, a managing director of Allen & Company and former U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate in discussions about issues raised in the film and their ties to current economic events.

I.O.U.S.A. uses candid interviews, archival footage and economic data to tell the story of America's mounting debts. Interview subjects include noted investor Warren Buffett, former Federal Reserve Chairmen Alan Greenspan and Paul Volcker, former US Treasury Secretaries Paul O'Neill and Robert Rubin Rivlin, Walker, and Concord Coalition Executive Director Bob Bixby. The conclusion of the film offers suggestions for how best to recreate a fiscally sound nation for future generations. I.O.U.S.A. was directed by Patrick Creadon ("Wordplay") and distributed in the United States by Roadside Attractions ("Super Size Me"). Michael Kane is the executive producer of the program for CNN.

This exclusive televised event will air on CNN/U.S. on Saturday, January 10 at 2:00 p.m. EST and on Sunday, January 11 at 3:00 p.m. EST.