Colorado State University Hosts Screening of Documentary “I AM” Jan. 26

Note to Reporters: Photos of Tom Shadyac are available with the news release at http://www.news.colostate.edu.

Colorado State University will host a special screening of “I AM,” a new documentary from Hollywood film maker Tom Shadyac, at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 in the Lory Student Center Theater. The screening is free and open to the public but tickets are required. A Q&A session with Shadyac will follow the screening.

Shadyac is known for box-office hits including "Bruce Almighty," "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," "The Nutty Professor," "Liar Liar" and "Evan Almighty."

“I AM” follows Shadyac’s journey of self-reflection and discovery after surviving a 2007 cycling injury. He travels the globe interviewing prominent thinkers from the worlds of science, philosophy and faith, and through the documentary, asserts that “what we do on an individual level really does affect the global environment.”

After a serious bike accident, doctors diagnosed Shadyac as having post-concussive syndrome. For months, he suffered an intense sensitivity to light and sound and experienced severe mood swings. He was forced to sleep in a darkened room with blackout curtains covering the windows.

“The accident didn’t give me any new-found wisdom… I’d been considering some of these ideas for some time. But it knocked me out of my fear to start a new conversation about what I had become aware of and awakened to."

Shadyac let go of his accumulations and signposts of personal wealth – his private jet, the large mansion he owned in Pasadena – and moved into a trailer home. He’s donated much of his wealth to people in need.

“The only true revolution is the personal revolution,” Shadyac said, and he urges everyone to reach out with compassion and to lend a hand. “If your actions come from authenticity, that has real power. But even if you’ve numbed out to a certain extent and are just going through the motions, truth can still reveal itself if you have the courage to listen.

"You will feel something – a strength or power. You will feel the physicality of your body change. We’re all wired to help each other, and acting on behalf of others will help you access a part of yourself that has meaning and is connected to a higher purpose," he said.

Shadyac says that he looks forward to talking with CSU students. “I’m very passionate about this conversation with college students,” Shadyac said. “They have that young energy and are so open. They have an opportunity to raise their children in a different way and help birth a new world."

Tickets are available at the Campus Box Office at the Lory Student Center. The event is free, but tickets are required for admission. Call (970) 491-4TIX (4849) for tickets or go online to www.csutix.com.

The screening is sponsored CSU’s School of Global Environmental Sustainability, ASAP, Campus Activities and Student Affairs.

For more information on “I AM” and to view the film trailer, visit http://iamthedoc.com. The documentary will be coming to theaters in February 2011.

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