'The Real Great Debaters' comes to SMU

Dallas – AMS Pictures is pleased to announce a collaboration with Southern Methodist University to present a special screening of its latest documentary film, The Real Great Debaters of Wiley College.

Inspired by the critically acclaimed Hollywood film The Great Debaters, The Real Great Debaters of Wiley College tells the true story of Wiley College’s 1935 debate team and their astonishing defeat of the reigning national champions. The film, recently completed by the Dallas-based AMS Pictures, premiered to an enthusiastic audience at the Urbanworld Film Festival in New York City in October.

The screening on Monday, November 17, will be the first public screening of The Real Great Debaters of Wiley College in Dallas, and is co-sponsored by SMU’s Division of Cinema-Television, the Association of Black Students, Program Council Films, Student Filmmakers Association and Ben Voth, SMU's director of forensics.

This screening is especially appropriate for SMU, who recognized growing enthusiasm for the art of debate by recently hosting members of the new Wiley College debate team for a Presidential Debate post-discussion on September 26. The Wiley team will be in attendance to support the film and sign DVDs afterwards.

Says Voth, “The recent presidential debates have drawn attention to how important debate is to our civil society. The Real Great Debaters is a great film that explains how debate became a transformative tool for allowing young people to overcome bigotry and racism in the course of realizing their individual dreams of excellence.”

About the Screening:

Times: Monday, November 17, 2008
     6:30 p.m. – Reception – Hughes Trigg Theatre Lobby
     7:00 p.m. – Screening – Hughes Trigg Theatre
     8:15 p.m. – Q&A with Filmmakers
     8:30 p.m. – Student Debate

Visit the official website.

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