Oscar-Nominated Films to Screen on ‘Docu-Day’ at Pacific Design Center

The American Cinematheque, in association with the International Documentary Assn., will present this year’s Oscar-nominated documentaries Saturday at the Center Green Theater at the Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood.

The nine documentaries--five shorts and four feature-length entries--will be screened as three separate programs at noon, 3:30 and 7 p.m. Each will be followed by a discussion with those filmmakers able to attend.

The Cinematheque’s ‘Docu-Day’ begins at noon with Richard Schmiechen’s “Changing Our Minds: The Story of Dr. Evelyn Hooker,” a profile on the psychologist whose pioneering work led the American Medical Assn. to stop listing homosexuality as a disease.

Dorothy Fadiman’s “When Abortion Was Illegal: Untold Stories,” which tells of American women who risked abortion in the ‘30s to the ‘60s, screens at 1:22 p.m. Thomas Goodwin and Geraldine Wurzburg’s “Educating Peter,” which screens at 1:50 p.m., tells of a Down’s syndrome sufferer who is for the first time placed in a regular classroom.

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The 3:30 p.m. program begins with Wendy L. Weinberg’s “Beyond Imagining: Margaret Anderson and the Little Review,” a profile of the woman and her journal (1914-1929), which helped launch the careers of many major writers, poets and artists. Animator Joyce Borenstein’s “The Colours of My Father: A Portrait of Sam Borenstein” pays tribute to her artist-father. Geoffrey O’Connor’s “At the Edge of Conquest: The Journey of Chief Wai-Wai” tells of a Brazilian Indian leader’s quest to save his endangered people, and Joshua Waletzky’s “Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann” is an homage to the renowned late screen composer.

The 7 p.m. program commences with William Miles and Nina Rosenblum’s “Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II,” which documents the combat role of two African-American battalions--and which has been the focus of intense controversy over its accuracy--and Barbara Kent’s “The Panama Deception,” which explores the largely unknown story of U.S. involvement in Panama, from 1903 to the 1989 invasion and its aftermath.

Information: (213) 466-FILM.