NEW YORK – In response to public demand for information about the scope of the country’s financial challenges, CNN/U.S. will air the television premiere of the acclaimed documentary I.O.U.S.A., together with an unscripted panel discussion with policy leaders about various economic solutions currently under consideration.
The two-hour program will feature an exclusive televised version of the nonpartisan film I.O.U.S.A., which examines the U.S. government’s fiscal landscape and the consequences for the national economy. Since its premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, the film has garnered rave reviews from critics; has been nominated for a Critics Choice Award; and is on the short list for an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature.
This exclusive televised event will air on CNN/U.S. on Saturday, January 10 at 2:00 p.m. EST and on Sunday, January 11 at 3:00 p.m. EST, and will be hosted by Ali Velshi and Christine Romans, co-anchors of CNN’s Your $$$$$, the network’s weekend business roundtable program.
Throughout the broadcast, Velshi and Romans will engage a distinguished group of panelists including Pete Peterson, Chairman of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and former U.S. Commerce Secretary; Dave Walker, President and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and former U.S. Comptroller General; Alice Rivlin, noted economist and former Director of the Office of Management and Budget; and Bill Bradley, a Managing Director of Allen & Company and former U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential candidate in discussions about issues raised in the film and their ties to current economic events.
I.O.U.S.A. uses candid interviews, archival footage, and economic data to tell the story of America’s mounting debts. Interview subjects include noted investor Warren Buffett, former Federal Reserve Chairmen Alan Greenspan and Paul Volcker, former U.S. Treasury Secretaries Paul O’Neill and Robert Rubin, Rivlin, Walker, and Concord Coalition Executive Director Bob Bixby.
The conclusion of the film offers suggestions for how best to recreate a fiscally sound nation for future generations. I.O.U.S.A. was directed by Patrick Creadon (“Wordplay”) and distributed in the United States by Roadside Attractions (“Super Size Me”). Michael Kane is the executive producer of the program for CNN.
