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Independent Television Service (ITVS) Funded Documentary MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY

Nominated for an Academy Award® For Best Documentary Feature

Nominated for an Academy Award® For Best Documentary Feature

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(San Francisco, CA) The Independent Television Service (ITVS), announced today that one of its acclaimed films, MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY, the ITVS funded documentary by director Laura Poitras, was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature.

MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY is a co-presentation of ITVS, Praxis Films in association with American Documentary| P.O.V., PBSs award-winning non-fiction showcase. The film had its broadcast premier Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006 on the PBS series. "I am thrilled that the Academy has recognized the film with this nomination. It's a huge testament to the quality of independent films that ITVS strives to support and fund. The film courageously exposes the emotions of the Iraq war that strikes a cord in all of us, said Sally Jo Fifer, president and CEO of ITVS.

MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY tells the behind-the-scenes story of the January 2005 national elections in Iraq from the perspective of the people who planned, participated in and boycotted them. The provocative documentary is a sobering look at Iraq two years after the U.S.-led invasion and a testament to the courage of people willing to put their lives on the line for the promise of democracy. With MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY, Poitras creates what several scholars and critics have called the definitive documentary about the war in Iraq. Although the film focuses on the January 2005 elections, it is a broader story about U.S. foreign policy post-9/11, she said. The use of pre-emptive military force and the goal of implementing democracy in the Middle East mark a radical shift in U.S. policy and world politics. I felt compelled to document this war and its consequences.

About the filmmakers
Laura Poitras (Director/Producer/Cinematographer/Editor)
Laura Poitras received a Peabody Award for her last documentary, Flag Wars (2003), which she
co-directed, produced, and shot. Flag Wars, a documentary about gentrification in Columbus, Ohio, received numerous other awards, including Best Documentary at the 2003 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival and Seattle Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and the Filmmaker Award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Flag Wars launched the 2003 P.O.V. series on PBS and was nominated for both a 2004 Independent Spirit Award and a 2004 Emmy Award. Poitras' other films include Oh say can you see... (2003) and Exact Fantasy (1995). She resides in New York City.

Jocelyn Glatzer (Producer)
Jocelyn Glatzer has directed, produced and edited numerous documentary films including The Flute Player, about a survivor of Cambodia's genocide, which had its national broadcast premiere on P.O.V. in 2003, and won numerous awards including an Audience Award for Documentary First Feature at SXSW (2003) and a CINE Golden Eagle Award. It was also an Emmy Award nominee for outstanding achievement in Arts and Cultural Programming. She directed / produced ART2000, about Hillary Rodham Clinton's most successful senatorial-race fundraiser, has worked at Maysles Films and on two Emmy-nominated dance programs for PBSs Great Performances series. A former New Yorker, she now resides in Boston.

About ITVS
The Independent Television Service (ITVS) funds and presents award-winning documentaries and dramas on public television, innovative new media projects on the Web and the Emmy Award-winning weekly series Independent Lens on Tuesday nights at 10 PM on PBS. ITVS is a miracle of public policy created by media activists, citizens and politicians seeking to foster plurality and diversity in public television. ITVS was established by a historic mandate of Congress to champion independently produced programs that take creative risks, spark public dialogue and serve underserved audiences. Since its inception in 1991, ITVS programs have revitalized the relationship between the public and public television, bringing TV audiences face-to-face with the lives and concerns of their fellow Americans. More information about ITVS can be obtained by visiting itvs.org. ITVS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

About P.O.V.
Produced by American Documentary, Inc. and in its 19th season on PBS, the award-winning P.O.V. series is the longest-running series on television to feature the work of America's best contemporary-issue independent filmmakers. Airing Tuesdays at 10 p.m., June through October, with primetime specials during the year, P.O.V. has brought over 230 award-winning documentaries to millions nationwide, and now has a Webby Award-winning online series, P.O.V.'s Borders. Since 1988, P.O.V. has pioneered the art of presentation and outreach using independent nonfiction media to build new communities in conversation about today's most pressing social issues. More information about P.O.V is available online at pbs.org/pov.

About PBS
PBS is a media enterprise that serves 354 public noncommercial television stations and reaches almost 90 million people each week through on-air and online content. Bringing diverse viewpoints to television and the Internet, PBS provides high-quality documentary and dramatic entertainment, and consistently dominates the most prestigious award competitions. PBS is a leading provider of educational materials for K-12 teachers, and offers a broad array of other educational services. PBS' premier kids' TV programming and Web site, PBS KIDS Online (pbskids.org), continue to be parents' and teachers' most trusted learning environments for children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet.

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