“Hugh Hefner will knock your socks off…this eye-opening documentary reveals the mensch beneath the moolah, the ardent social reformer beneath the paisley-patterned shirts.”–Jeannette Catsoulis, National Public Radio

WHO/WHAT: About the documentary Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel: Hugh Hefner’s life has been so prolific that two hours hardly seem enough. This engaging, irresistibly watchable profile by Berman concentrates on the Chicago-forged Hef’s celebrity as standard-bearer for the sexual revolution, with many a vintage Playmate on display, and on his lesser-known career as a tireless social activist, fighting battles for free speech, civil rights, gay rights, and, yes, women’s rights. Hugh Hefner is neither a tell-all exposé nor a shallow puff piece. A dazzling collection of talking heads weigh in, both pro (Jesse Jackson, Bill Maher, Gene Simmons) and con (Pat Boone, Susan Brownmiller, Mike Wallace), along with war stories from co-workers and ex-partners, and a trove of priceless footage from Hefner’s TV shows. This film may not convert you, but it will convince you that Hefner’s influence on the past half-century of American life has been undeniable and enormous.

Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel marks the only time Hefner has granted full access to a filmmaker.

Hefner will attend the screening with his girlfriend, Miss December 2009 Crystal Harris, and sons, Marston and Cooper Hefner.

Hefner will be joined in a post-screening discussion with director Berman and Michael Kutza, Founder and Artistic Director of the Chicago International Film Festival.

WHEN: Friday, October 29, 6:00 pm. This screening is now sold out.

Showtimes for Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel: Friday, October 29, 6:00 pm (sold out) ; Saturday, October 30, 3:00 and 7:45 pm; Sunday, October 31, 4:45 pm; Monday, November 1, 7:45 pm; Tuesday, November 2, 6:00 pm; Wednesday, November 3, 7:45 pm; Thursday, November 4, 6:00 pm.

Note to media: There will be a red carpet press line from 5:30 to 5:50 pm in the gallery/café of the Gene Siskel Film Center, located on the second floor of the movie theater. It is requested that media arrive no later than 5:00 for check-in and all equipment be self-contained.

WHERE: Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 164 N. State St., Chicago, IL.

HOW: The Friday, October 29, 6:00 pm screening is now sold out. Tickets are still available to the remainder of the October 29-November 4 run (showtimes above). Tickets to each screening are $10/general admission. Other ticket prices are $7/student and $5/Film Center members. All tickets may be purchased at the Film Center Box Office. Both general admission and Film Center member tickets are available through Ticketmaster, 800-982-2787, www.ticketmaster.com, and all Ticketmaster outlets. The Film Center and its box office are open 5:00-9:00 pm, Monday-Friday; 2:00-9:00 pm, Saturday; and 2:00-6:00 pm, Sunday.

Discounted parking is available for $14 for nine hours at the InterPark SELF-PARK at 20 E. Randolph St. A rebate ticket can be obtained from the Film Center Box Office.

For more information about the Film Center, call 312-846-2800 (24-hour movie hotline) or 312-846-2600 (general information, 9:00 am-5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday), or visit www.siskelfilmcenter.org.