The eighth edition of the AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival opens June 21 with the multi-director project Freakonomics, based on Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner's bestselling book, Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Exposes the Hidden Side of Everything. The sextet of directors on the film project includes Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side), Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp), Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight) and Seth Gordon (King Of Kong), each of whom created a short piece based on a chapter from the book. The film is slated for a fall 2010 release through Magnolia Pictures.
The book famously applied statistics and incentives to analyze human behaviors, which yielded surprising and controversial conclusions that years of psychology and moral philosophy had yet to reveal. In the film, Gibney looks behind the fragile façade of Sumo wrestling and exposes uncomfortable truths about this ancient and revered sport; Spurlock examines the consequences of a name, and whether being dubbed Sheniqua, Tripp or Moon Unit have any affect on one's future prospects; Grady and Ewing explore whether money can be used to incentivize underachieving kids to improve their grades in school; Jarecki investigates Levitt's provocative theory as to why crime rates dramatically dropped in the early '90s; and Gordon weaves the pieces together with playful animation and commentary from the authors.
"We are thrilled to open the festival with Freakonomics, one of this year's most highly anticipated documentaries," said artistic director Sky Sitney in a statement. "Thanks to a team of celebrated documentarians, one of the best-selling books of the past decade debuts on the big screen for a riveting cinematic experience."
Silverdocs 2010, which runs from June 21 to 27, will showcase over 80 films plus special screenings, music performances and dozens of panel discussions featuring hundreds of filmmakers, diverse topics and media professionals. In addition, the festival will honor Frederick Wiseman, widely recognized as one of America's greatest and most prolific documentary filmmakers, at the Charles Guggenheim Symposium. The Symposium, named after the late, four-time Academy Award winner Charles Guggenheim, honors a filmmaker who has mastered the power of documentary and inspires audiences with powerful explorations of the human experience. Past recipients include Barbara Kopple (2004), Martin Scorsese (2006), Jonathan Demme (2007), Spike Lee (2008) and Albert Maysles (2009).
"For over four decades, Wiseman has used a 16mm camera and portable sound equipment to create an exceptional body of work consisting of over 30 feature-length films devoted primarily to exploring American institutions," said Sitney. "We are thrilled to recognize his vast contribution to cinema and the documentary form."