The Cartel Opens in Eight Cities; Takes on America's Failing Public Schools With Town Hall Meetings

NEW YORK, April 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Cartel, Bob Bowdon's scorching new documentary exposing broad failures in our urban public schools, opens today in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C.

The Cartel shows teachers punished for speaking out, principals fired for trying to do the right thing, Union leaders defending the indefensible, and bureaucrats blocking new charter schools; we meet teens who can't read, parents desperate for change, and teachers struggling to launch stable alternative schools for inner city kids who want to learn. The Cartel draws an unequivocal bottom line: If we care about our children's futures, we must insist upon far-reaching, immediate reform.

The Los Angeles Times calls The Cartel "brisk, incisive and mind-boggling." The New York Post calls the film "a revelation," and notes that "few documentaries have covered such an important matter so convincingly and with such clarity." The film has won awards, is an audience favorite, and is already shaping debate about education reform.

The Cartel will be in theaters for a week, and will feature groundbreaking town hall-style meetings with the director and education experts as follows:

Boston: Harvard University professor Paul Peterson, who appears in the film, will host Q&A (Kendall Square Cinema, 4/30, 7:15pm).

Chicago: The Heartland Institute and For the Good of Illinois are hosting the premiere. Bowdon, the Heartland Institute's Bruno Behrend, and For the Good of Illinois founder Adam Andrzejewski will conduct panel discussion (Century Centre Cinema, 4/30, 7:30pm).

San Francisco: Lance Izumi of the Pacific Research Institute hosts an after-screening discussion (Opera Plaza Cinema, 4/30, 7:15pm).

Washington D.C.: Neal McCluskey of the CATO Institute and Lindsey Burke of the Heritage Foundation will host an after-screening discussion (E Street Cinema, 4/30, 7:15pm).

St. Louis: Dave Roland of the Show Me Institute, David Jackson, a member of the elected school board, and a representative from the Missouri Charter Public Schools Association will host panel discussion after the screening (Plaza Frontenac Cinema, 4/30, 6:45pm).

Philadelphia: Director Bob Bowdon will host an after-screening Q&A (Ritz at the Bourse, 5/2, 4pm).

Denver: The Independence Institute will host an after-screening Q&A with Pam Benigno and Ben DeGrow (Chez Artiste Theater, 5/4, 7pm).

On the Web: TheCartelMovie.com

The Cartel is produced by Bowdon Media.

SOURCE Bowdon Media