The UT Dallas Cinematheque film series starts a new school year on Wednesday, Sept. 1, with The End of Poverty?, a documentary narrated by actor Martin Sheen.

The film screens at 7 p.m. in Jonsson Performance Hall.   

The Cinematheque series is a collaboration between the School of Arts and Humanities, and the Student Union and Activities Advisory Board.  The series screens a thought-provoking independent film each month, followed by a question-and-answer session.  

The End of Poverty? takes as its departure point one basic question:  With so much wealth in the world, why is there so much poverty? 

Exploring the history of poverty in developing countries, filmmaker Philippe Diaz attempts to trace the causes of economic inequity among nations to a history of military conquest, slavery and colonization that resulted in the seizure of land, minerals and forced labor. The director contends that the problem persists because of unfair debt, trade and tax policies.

The documentary includes interviews with historians, sociologists and economists, including Nobel laureates Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz.