TEXAS SENATOR KIRK WATSON AND THE AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL PRESENT A SPECIAL SCREENING OF “9500 LIBERTY”
DISCUSSION AFTER THE FILM WITH SENATOR WATSON, POLICE CHIEF ART ACEVEDO, FILMMAKER ERIC BYLER, AND OTHERS WILL EXPLORE THE IMMIGRATION ISSUE IN TEXAS
Austin, TX – May 24, 2010 – Texas Senator Kirk Watson and the Austin Film Festival are pleased to announce a joint presentation of a special advance screening event of the documentary film “9500 Liberty” by award-winning filmmakers Eric Byler and Annabel Park at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, TX. “9500 Liberty” takes an intimate look at a Virginia county that adopted a resolution similar to the controversial law recently signed by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, and the decision’s effects on the people who lived there.
Scheduled for 7:00PM on Wednesday, June 2nd, the screening will be immediately followed by a discussion moderated by Senator Watson with filmmaker Eric Byler, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo, Brown McCarroll LLP partner and past American Immigration Lawyers Association President Kathleen Campbell Walker, and Eddie Aldrete, Senior Vice President for IBC Bank. The discussion will also take place in the Texas Spirit Theater at the Bullock Museum, which is located at 1800 North Congress Avenue.
Byler’s timely documentary explores Prince William County, Virginia, which became ground zero in America’s explosive battle over immigration policy after elected officials adopted regulations requiring police officers to question anyone suspected of being an undocumented immigrant.
“9500 Liberty” reveals the startling vulnerability of a local government that was targeted by national anti-immigration networks with Internet-based tactics designed to frighten citizens and intimidate lawmakers. And it documents efforts of residents to resist the sudden climate of fear and racial division, setting up a real-life showdown between those elected to represent a divided community. Depicting many of the same highly publicized conflicts at the intersection of politics and immigration – many of which are now on display in Arizona – “9500 Liberty” brings an affecting perspective to this inflamed debate.
This special advance screening event is free and open to the public. To reserve tickets, please visit www.austinfilmfestival.com/ or call (512)478-4795.
After a sold-out premiere in Tempe, AZ, “9500 Liberty” is opening in theaters across the country. Byler will remain in Austin for Friday’s theatrical premiere at the Landmark Dobie Theater, 2025 Guadalupe Street in the Dobie Mall.
For more information about “9500 Liberty”, go to www.9500liberty.com.
For press inquiries, contact:
Elaine Garza / Giant Noise / 512-382-9017 / elaine@giantnoise.com
William Mills / Giant Noise / 512-382-9017 / will@giantnoise.com
ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL
The Austin Film Festival (AFF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television and new media. The AFF champions the work of aspiring and established writers and filmmakers by providing unique cultural events and services, enhancing public awareness and participation and encouraging dynamic and long-lasting community partnerships. www.austinfilmfestival.com/.
The Austin Film Festival is funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.
Special support is provided to the Austin Film Festival by Continental Airlines, KVUE and Dos Equis.