FilmNewYork

Wednesday, June 20---------Members of the Jacob Burns Film Center, Westchester's most adventurous arthouse complex, will be treated to a special advance preview of one of the summer's most provocative films, Michael Moore's SICKO. The film opens wide on June 29th in wide release and is sure to stimulate discussion and serve as a lightning rod, as much if not more than Moore's previous triumph FAHRENHEIT 911. Burns Film Center members can among the first audiences to see the film when it is screens tomorrow evening at 7:40pm.

Since the film started making headlines (with its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and the subsequent stories of the government harassment campaign against director Michael Moore), the anticipation factor has been so high that the film's distributor The Weinstein Company will open the film a week early in New York City, starting this coming Friday.  Additionally, public sneak previews of the film will be held at more than 40 theaters around the country on Saturday. Harvey Weinstein, who also executive produced the film, stated that "ever since the film began generating tremendous word of mouth at the Cannes Film Festival last month, we have been contemplating opening SICKO in one theater in New York City and sneaking the film in the top markets across the country". With SICKO, acclaimed filmmaker Michael Moore sets out to investigate the American healthcare system. Sticking to his tried-and-true one-man approach, Moore sheds light on the influence of pharmaceutical giants and mega-corporations of health care providers more concerned with corporate profits than quality of health care. To view the film's trailer, log on to: http://www.moviecentre.net/upcomingmovies/movie_trailers.php?Pid=1367&Id=66 Janet Maslin

The members-only screening at the Jacob Burns Film Center will be one of the first opportunities for general audiences to sample the provocative documentary. The film screening will be followed by an audience discussion, moderated by New York Times critic Janet Maslin. For more information on this special screening and the on-going film program at the Burns Film Center, log on to their website: www.burnsfilmcenter.org

Sandy Mandelberger, Film New York Editor