The Big Short Screening with Director Adam McKay, DC

@Variety

Affair: The Big Short Screening with Director Adam McKay

When: Update: Rescheduled to Wednesday, January 27, 2016 @ 4PM

Hot Spot: Brookings Institution, Washington, DC

Deets: If anything can shape the public’s understanding of the complexities of the recent housing bubble and global financial crisis, it’s a Hollywood movie. 

Last month’s release of “The Big Short”—based on the bestselling book of the same name by Michael Lewis and starring Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, and Ryan Gosling—made $10 million in its opening weekend. That’s a pretty good showing for a film with a plot driven by credit default swaps and collateralized debt obligations. The film has provoked an intense conversation, sparking a discussion of whether mortgage-backed securities were the primary driver of the crisis, as opposed to broader economic forces and whether those responsible were adequately punished.

On January 25, the film’s director, Adam McKay (who also directed and co-wrote “Anchorman,” “Talladega Nights,” and “Step Brothers”), will visit Washington for a screening of “The Big Short” hosted by Economic Studies at Brookings. 

After the screening, McKay will join a panel of financial experts and journalists to discuss whether the film’s narrative is the right one to explain the crisis to the public. 

The screening begins at 4PM. When the film concludes, drinks and refreshments will be served until 6:30PM. At that time, Economic Studies Vice President and Director Ted Gayer will introduce the evening’s panel. David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at Brookings, will moderate the discussion. The panel discussion will be webcast. 

Spotted: Adam McKay, Ted Gayer, David Wessel, Gillian Tett, Vincent Reinhart, Adam Davidson, James Mai

Hint For The Average Socialite: UPDATE - Registration for the live event is full. Registration for the WEBCAST is available here!

You can join the conversation and tweet questions for the panelists at  #TheBigShort. 

What's Trending: #TheBigShort @GhostPanther @thebigshort @BrookingsEcon @AdamDavidson

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