Monday, June 11-------In a mere five years, SILVERDOCS has emerged as one of the most important and provocative showcases of non-fiction media in the world. With support from both the American Film Institute and Discovery Communications, the event, barely a toddler in festival terms, has become an industry prime mover. Its parallel International Documentary Conference, a series of information panels and master classes, attracts nearly 1000 visiting filmmakers, commissioning editors and programmers to examine new trends in production, distribution and financing models. For its sixth edition, the Festival will present over 100 films from 40 countries, with some of the documentary world’s leading filmmakers represented, including Albert Maysles (THE GATES); Alex Gibney (TAXI TO THE DARKSIDE); Marco Williams (BANISHED); Heddy Honigmann (FOREVER); Doug Prey (BIG RIG) and Liz Garbus (COMA).

The Festival opens tomorrow evening at the beautiful AFI Silver Theater in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland with PETE SEEGER: THE POWER OF SONG by Jim Brown (the director of the successful documentary portrait film, THE WEAVERS: WHAT A TIME, a look at the seminal folk group of which Pete Seeger was a major component). The film, which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, is an inspiring portrait of the folk music legend and activist, with interviews from such Seeger devotees as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez and Bonnie Raitt. The Festival closes on Sunday with what is sure to be this year’s documentary sleeper hit, ARTIC TALE by Sarah Robertson, a look at Arctic polar bears and seal lions, with narration by Queen Latifah and music by Cat Stevens, Aimee Mann and The Shins. Chicago 10

Film highlights of the six-day event include: the world premiere of Mary Lambert’s 14 WOMEN, a compelling look at female US Senators; CHICAGO TEN, Brett Morgan’s imaginative re-thinking of the 1960s conspiracy trial; GARBAGE WARRIOR, UK director Oliver Hodge’s portrait of a rebel eco-architect; LAKE OF FIRE, controversial director Tony Kaye’s look at the battle for abortion rights; and NO END IN SIGHT, a bracing tale of mismanagement of the Iraq War, directed by Charles Ferguson.

Making TroubleAmong the most anticipated films this week are two world premieres that look at the power of humor. MAKING TROUBLE: THREE GENERATIONS OF FUNNY JEWISH WOMEN is a delightful valentine to Jewish comics by Rachel Talbot, which profiles such beloved funny ladies as Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Gilda Radner and Joan Rivers. And for something completely different....STAND UP: MUSLIM-AMERICAN COMICS COME OF AGE, by local DC filmmakers Glenn Baker and Omar Naim, showcases a new generation of gifted Muslim comics who break long-held taboos by skewering the customs and conventions of the tight knit Muslim community.

AFI Silver TheaterWith its intoxicating mix of film premieres, outstanding seminar sessions and celebrity documentarians, SILVERDOCS is a masterful showcase of the zeitgeist of the non-fiction film world, while also mapping out the ways that the movement will continue in the years to come. With the event taking place just a few weeks before Michael Moore's SICKO hits national screens, the time has never been better to examine where we are in terms of documentary film. The Festival's motto "Independent Thinkers Welcome" is the touchstone for an event that surveys the provocative issues of our time. And the films look smashing at the flagship AFI Silver Theater. Stay tuned to this website to get the dope on this year's hot docs or log on to the Festival's official website: www.silverdocs.com.

Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Online Dailies Editor