'To Catch a Dollar: Muhammad Yunus Banks on America' to Play in Theaters Nationwide, One Night Only, on March 31

NEW YORK, March 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 31, theaters across the country will host a special media event, introducing American audiences to the potential for microfinance in the United States, and the magic of Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus's Grameen Bank. Gayle Ferraro's film "To Catch a Dollar: Muhammad Yunus Banks on America" will play in theaters nationwide and will be accompanied by a taped discussion with Dr. Yunus, moderated by financial expert and CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo and featuring special guests including financial powerhouse Suze Orman, President of Kiva.org, Premal Shah, and Robert DeNiro. The evening will also include video appearances by Hugh Jackman, Matt Damon, Russell Simmons, and many others. To find a list of theaters and showtimes near you go to www.tocatchadollar.com.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110322/NY69539 )

The film chronicles the inspiring, logic-defying, yet true story of Yunus' idea to bring his model of micro-lending to the United States and depicts the millions of lives it has changed in the process. The panel discussion was taped in front of a live audience on March 9th in New York. Panelists explore the themes discussed in the film and some of the innovative solutions to today's most pressing financial challenges.

Dr. Muhammad Yunus, known as the "father of modern microfinance," is a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, an institution that provides microcredit to help its clients establish creditworthiness and financial self-sufficiency. Dr. Yunus is also a 2006 recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace.

Yunus' groundbreaking Grameen Bank in Bangladesh was built on the radical notion that if you loan poor women money within the context of peer support, not only will they repay, but they'll sustain the bank and elevate their communities in the process. With millions of microloans to rural entrepreneurs in developing countries, Grameen audaciously imported its methods to the bastion of first-world capitalism: the U.S.A. First stop: Queens, New York. With an intimate camera capturing both buoyant and despairing moments, TO CATCH A DOLLAR: MUHAMMAD YUNUS BANKS ON AMERICA chronicles the evolution of the first tiny new branch beginning with its inception in 2008 and the impact it has on both the loan recipients and supporters through 2009.

To learn more about the film, the event and the innovative social action campaign, visit www.tocatchadollar.com.

SOURCE Grameen America