Bell Atlantic Sponsors D.C. Premiere of 'City at Peace'

Bell Atlantic Sponsors D.C. Premiere of 'City at Peace'

Powerful Documentary Based on Experiences of 60 Local Youth
Who Confront Issues of Race, Class

June 1, 1998

WASHINGTON -- The critically acclaimed documentary City at Peace
will have its Washington, D.C., premiere at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Bell Atlantic Chairman Raymond W. Smith will introduce the film to VIPs
and members of the media invited to the sneak preview in the Eisenhower
Theater. The company, a major sponsor of tonight's premiere, is a
supporter of the documentary that opened last month to rave reviews at the
Los Angeles Independent Film Festival.

The film City at Peace is based on the lives and conflicts of 60 Washington,
D.C., area teenagers who confront their differences and discover their
bonds while working on a theater project of the same name.

"Bell Atlantic is pleased to sponsor this documentary film by the Emmy and
Peabody Award-winning team of Susan and Christopher Koch," said
Smith. "The film reminds us that too many of today's teenagers are literally
under siege - by drug abuse, violence and disease. At Bell Atlantic, we're
doing all we can to support teens, especially those considered at risk."

Bell Atlantic, one of three corporate underwriters, gave $25,000 to
sponsor the premiere. The gift is one of many contributions made by the
company and its employees to support youth in the communities it serves.
Bell Atlantic employees, from Maine to Virginia, volunteer more than 3.5
million hours each year to help kids in need as mentors, tutors and Big
Brothers and Sisters.

The company also helps teens to acquire the tools they need to compete in
the 21st century. For example, Bell Atlantic has wired every public school
in Washington with high-speed links to the Internet, given every D.C.
public school principal a cutting-edge laptop computer and offered dozens
of students summer jobs.

"This film is a clarion call for understanding and tolerance between races
and generations," Smith said. "As a company, we alone can't help our
teens overcome violence or prejudice. Only by working together can we
even get close to solving our kids' deepest problems or help them achieve
their greatest dreams."

The film is expected to be released by the end of the year.

City at Peace Contact Information: Admission to the premiere is by
invitation only. All media are welcome and cameras are allowed at the
back of the theater. Contact Diana at 202-331-8133 for more information.

Bell Atlantic -- formed through the merger of Bell Atlantic and NYNEX --
is at the forefront of the new communications and information industry.
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